Maharashtra Polls: BJP Faces Internal Unrest as Prominent Leaders Declare Independent Candidacies
With the announcement of candidates for the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly elections, multiple parties have revealed their lists, sparking unrest among some members who didn’t secure tickets
Mumbai: With the announcement of candidates for the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly elections, multiple parties have revealed their lists, sparking unrest among some members who didn’t secure tickets.
This includes open discontent within the BJP, where prominent figures like Atul Shah and Gopal Shetty from Mumbai, as well as Hansmukh Gehlot from Thane, have voiced their objections.
According to sources, the Mahayuti coalition has fielded Shaina NC from the Mumbadevi seat in South Mumbai, representing the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction). Shaina NC recently left the BJP to join Sena and promptly filed her nomination.
This decision has angered BJP spokesperson and former MLA Atul Shah, who was expecting to contest from Mumbadevi. Shah, a former corporator and active local leader, has declared he will now contest as an independent from this constituency.
“This isn’t a game of musical chairs where anyone can just jump in. The leadership needs to consider who can win and work for the seat. I served as a corporator for seven years, helping over 50,000 people access the Ladki Bahna Yojana.
I’m the only corporator who set up a canopy outside my office and assisted with 12,000 forms,” he expressed.
Meanwhile, Congress has nominated veteran leader Amin Patel, a three-time MLA, from Mumbadevi. In Borivali, another influential BJP leader, former MP Gopal Shetty, has decided to run as an independent after the party fielded Sanjay Upadhyay.
Despite Upadhyay’s role as Mumbai BJP’s General Secretary, Shetty was a strong contender, especially after BJP moved Piyush Goyal to contest from Mumbai North for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Dissatisfied party workers in Borivali, unhappy with Upadhyay’s lack of local ties, rallied behind Shetty’s decision to run independently.
“I support BJP and Devendra Fadnavis, but the party’s choice to field Upadhyay here is flawed, and I will oppose it,” he said.
On another front, Hansmukh Gehlot, former Deputy Mayor of Thane, has also declared his independent candidacy from the Ovala-Majiwada seat after the Mahayuti nominated Shiv Sena’s Pratap Sarnaik. Gehlot, who anticipated BJP’s endorsement, expressed disappointment and frustration with the decision.
As election day approaches, these independent candidacies pose a new challenge to BJP, risking a divided vote base in several constituencies.
