Another BJP leader goes sulking over being denied ticket for MLC elections in Maharashtra

The degree of tension in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been increasing rapidly. After Eknath Khadse, another BJP leader has expressed his discontent over being denied nomination for the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections. 

On the issue of being sidelined by the party’s state leadership, Disgruntled senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse earlier accused the party leadership in Maharashtra of ignoring him and alleged that denying him a ticket for the MLC polls was a conspiracy by certain leaders.

Now, former Maharashtra cabinet minister and BJP leader Ram Shinde expressed his displeasure over being denied ticket. Shinde wanted to contest the MLC polls but his name didn't appear in the list announced by the BJP. In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, Shinde had lost from Karjat-Jamkhed constituency to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rohit Pawar. 

“In the backdrop of MLC elections, BJP state president Chandrakant Patil had said that those who did not get a nomination will understand and learn something from the same. I think Panjaka Tai Munde did her study well (Ramesh Karad was given candidature for MLC polls). But I and some others could not do such study,” Ram Shinde said in a Facebook post from his personal account. 

The BJP earlier announced the list of four candidates including BJP Nagpur city chief Pravin Datke, Gopichand Padalkar, Ajit Gopchade and Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil, son of former Maharashtra Deputy CM Vijaysinh Mohite Patil for the MLC polls. 

However, in a last-minute change, the saffron party withdrew Gopchade’s nomination in favour of Rajesh Karad. Karad, who hails from Latur, is considered a close aide to late Gopinath Munde and her daughter Panakaja Munde. 

All four candidates fielded by the BJP were elected to the council unopposed on May 14 along with five other MVA leader including Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

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