Thane, Mar 13 (IANS): BJP leader and Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis was on Saturday elected as the new chairman of the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP), a prominent training and research institute that focuses on leadership development and socio-political research.

Rajya Sabha member and president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, was elected the vice chairman at the RMP's annual general meeting held here on Saturday. Bhai Girkar has been elected as the secretary while Arvind Rege has been elected as the treasurer.

Fadnavis, 50, replaces Aniruddha Deshpande, who headed the RMP located in Uttam village near Bhayander.

RMP has been accorded a special consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Since its inception in 1982, RMP has trained 35,000-plus people comprising MPs, MLAs, their associated staff, panchayat office-bearers, NGOs, corporates, entrepreneurs and the youth in leadershipskills.

Almost four decades ago, late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan had opened the RMP campus at Uttan village near Bhayandar, and also served as its first chairman.