Maharashtra polls: In Deolali, sister files nomination against brother, father sends her notice

Tanuja Gholap files as an independent in Deolali, sparking family tensions with brother Yogesh and father Babanrao over name use in elections

MUMBAI: Adding to the ongoing family dramas in this assembly election, Tanuja Gholap, daughter of former minister Babanrao Gholap, has filed her nomination as an independent candidate from Deolali, from where her elder brother, Yogesh Gholap, is contesting as a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate. An irked Babanrao has sent her a legal notice asking her to refrain from using his name and use that of her husband while contesting the election.

Tanuja Gholap, daughter of former minister Babanrao Gholap, has filed her nomination as an independent candidate from Deolali. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

Deolali in Nashik is a constituency reserved for scheduled caste candidates. It was once the bastion of Babanrao, who won five assembly elections there on a Shiv Sena ticket from 1990 to 2009. His son Yogesh won from the seat in 2014 but was defeated by Saroj from the undivided NCP in 2019.

Meanwhile, Babanrao Gholap tried to get a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections from Shirdi constituency from the Shiv Sena (UBT). He was denied this and subsequently joined the Eknath Shinde-led Sena in April 2024. When the Sena (UBT) again fielded Yogesh from Deolali, Babanrao immediately left the Shinde-led Sena and returned to the Thackeray faction.

Tanuja Gholap, who is in the BJP, has been preparing for the assembly elections for the last five years. But as the NCP led by Ajit Pawar joined the Mahayuti government, the Deolali seat went to sitting MLA Saroj Ahire. Tanuja filed her nomination as an independent though her own elder brother is fighting from the Sena (UBT).

Tanuja, who is married to Nilesh Bhoir, filed her nomination with her maiden name ‘Tanuja Babanrao Gholap’. An angry Babanrao has sent her a notice, warning her not to use his name to mislead people and use the name of her husband.

When contacted, Tanuja said it was wrong for her father to send her such a notice, as in the past she had twice contested local body elections under the same name. “He never objected then, so how can he object now?” she asked. When asked about the discussion in the family on withdrawing her name, Tanuja said she would decide by Monday.

When contacted, Yogesh Gholap said he was not involved in the notice and only Babanrao Gholap knew the details. “Discussions are ongoing in the family and with Tanuja about the withdrawal of her candidature,” he said. “Let’s see what she decides.”

Babanrao Gholap said he was likely to take back the notice and Tanuja might withdraw from the candidature. “Tomorrow is the last day to withdraw and Tanuja will decide by that time,” he said.

In 1998, social activist Anna Hazare had accused Gholap of corruption. In return, Gholap filed a defamation complaint and Hazare had to spend three months in Yerawada Jail. Much later, in 2014, a special court held Gholap and his wife Shashikala guilty of holding assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Recalling the incident, Hazare in 2014 wrote a letter to then Shiv Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying, “Gholap filed a defamation case against me in which he misled the judiciary by presenting fake evidence and witnesses.”