MLC Elections: BJP replaces one of its four candidates in a last-minute change

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday asked one of its four candidates to withdraw in favour of Ramesh Karad who hails from Latur. This happened two days ahead of the withdrawal deadline and on the day of scrutiny nominations. 

The party’s central leadership had named Ajit Gopchade for the May 21 Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections. However, the BJP made Ajit Gopchade withdraw his papers in favour of Ramesh Karad. 

According to the election commission, the last day of filing the nomination was May 11 while the scrutiny of papers was done on Tuesday and the last day of withdrawal is May 14. 

Ramesh Karad, considered a close confidant of late Gopinath Munde and his daughter Pankaja Munde, has contested twice from Latur rural assembly constituency but faced defeat. 

Earlier in 2018, Ramesh Karad had joined Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) but was a candidate for the state legislative council. However, Karad returned to BJP after quitting NCP and was promised a seat in the legislative council. 

Ramesh Karad, the nephew of education baron Vishwanath Karad, is part of the Gopinath Munde camp which the state leadership of BJP can’t seem to ignore. The last-minute decision to finalise Karad’s candidature while replacing Dr Ajit Gopchade indicates the same. 

The senior BJP leaders including Pankaja Munde, Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde were hoping to get fielded by their party for the MLC polls. However, they were left out and the BJP nominated party’s Nagpur city chief Pravin Datke, Gopichand Padalkar, Ajit Gopchade and Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil. 

On Tuesday, the party replaced Ajit Gopchade’s candidature with Ramesh Karad. 

Earlier, Pankaja Munde and Eknath Khadse had expressed their discontent over being denied the council seat. Munde’s relations with Maharashtra BJP President Chandrakant Patil and LoP Devendra Fadnavis had gone downhill since the time of state assembly elections which were held in October last year. 

Meanwhile, on the issue of being sidelined, Eknath Khadse has hinted towards his resignation from the saffron party and said that he will take a call on his future course after the coronavirus crisis. 

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