The race for Maharashtra’s Palghar Lok Sabha constituency bypolls escalated yesterday after saffron allies Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena decided to not contest together and fielded their own candidates for elections scheduled on 28 May.
The Palghar seat fell vacant after long-term BJP MP Chintamani Wanga passed away this year. He was a tribal leader with considerable clout who had been a party loyalist and had helped BJP gain significance in Palghar district and its surrounding areas.
Wanga’s demise had raised speculations of BJP deciding to allot its ticket for the by-election to one of his family members. However, Wanga’s wife and son slammed the party in public a few days ago for “ignoring” them and then went on to join Shiv Sena recently. Consequently, Shiv Sena has declared that it will field Wanga’s son, Shrinivas Wanga, as its candidate.
The BJP, on the other hand, roped in former Congress minister and Palghar MLA Rajendra Gavit to become its candidate. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis declared Gavit’s candidature during a press conference yesterday and blamed Shiv Sena for poaching Wanga’s family.
Fadnavis said BJP had planned on giving a ticket to one of Wanga’s family members owing to the former MP’s long association with the party, but it is very unfortunate that ally Shiv Sena went ahead and gave a ticket to Wanga’s son. He claimed that this decision of his party had even been conveyed to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who had then said that his party will not be contesting this election.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said people of Palghar will teach “traitor” Rajendra Gavit a lesson by voting for his party instead. Congress has fielded former MP Damodar Shingda as its candidate.