As BJP-led Mahayuti bask in the glory of the win in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the focus is on a 54-year-old engineer, who is the general secretary of RSS. Atul Limaye, the former chief of RSS western region, is said to have pulled the reins of Mahayuti's winning chariot through his strategy and ideology-based leadership.
Hailing from Nashik, Limaya joined RSS as a 'pracharak' three decades ago after quitting his job at a multinational company. He worked his way through the organisation, becoming 'prant pracharak' for western Maharashtra and then rose through the ranks to become a 'kshetra pracharak'. He commanded Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa.
During his stint with the organisation, he organised study groups, former research teams and think tanks that dealt with a multitude of issues, especially among Muslim and Christian communities, and formulated government policies. It was his policies that aided the organisation and the BJP in dealing with the 2017 Maratha reservation agitation and the 2018 'Urban Naxal' issues.
He also cultivated a strong grassroots base, consolidating Hindu votes in the state, thanks to his leadership skill which impressed the RSS leadership during the Shiv Shakti Sangam, a a large-scale event celebrating the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji in 2016-17.
Over 60,000 Sangh volunteers from the state attended the event, which aided in reigniting the Hindutva sentiment across western Maharashtra and the Marathwada region cutting through caste divisions.
He was also the brain behind the Sangh’s voter awareness campaign "Sajag Raho" which saw volunteers visit each house to mobilise votes in its favour. This outreach programme also helped RSS engage with the OBC community, including the Teli, Mali, Sutar and Banjara groups. Limaye is said to have personally engaged with community leaders ensuring them adequate representation, all these amid the anti-Mahayuti fervour among the Maratha community owing to the attempts by Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil.
Limaye did not ignore the agitating Maratha leaders too. He promised them efforts to support reservations for Marathas, though not under the OBC category. He also vowed to help fight the cause in the Supreme Court and with the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. This went a long way in repairing the damage done by Jarange-Patil.
He is also said to have made RSS a mediator and problem solver both in rural and urban grievances issues. So much so that the higher voter turnout gave hints to the leadership that the Hindu votes have finally been unified.