Parties choose reward, course correction to nominate candidates for council polls

Sena leader Ramdas Kadam was not renominated to the council following the episode of his viral audio clips, where he allegedly gave information against party minister Anil Parab to a person who was in touch with BJP leader Kirit Somaiya

Sunil Shinde, former Shiv Sena legislator from Worli, has been nominated as the party’s candidate for the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) seat from the Mumbai local body. His nomination is being viewed as a reward for giving up his seat for Thackeray scion and state cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray in the 2019 Assembly polls.

Sunil Shinde, former Shiv Sena legislator from Worli, has been nominated as the party’s candidate for the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) seat from the Mumbai local body. (HT FILE)

Meanwhile, Sena leader Ramdas Kadam--the incumbent on the Mumbai seat, was not renominated following the episode of his viral audio clips, where he allegedly gave information against Sena minister Anil Parab to a person who was in touch with BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. After the incident, the Sena leadership was upset with Kadam, party insiders said.

Sanjay Raut, senior Sena leader and chief spokesperson of the party, said that he would not comment on Kadam being sidelined. “Ramdas Kadam has worked for several years for the party and as a minister. He also led the party in Legislative Council...Balasaheb has made all of us a ‘neta’ in the party and nobody needs to be upset about this,” Raut said.

Talking about Shinde, Raut said, “Sunil Shinde is a true Shiv Sainik. He was the Worli MLA, and he sacrificed the seat for Aaditya Thackeray. Keeping his sacrifice and faith in mind, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray gave him the nomination.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a course correction, nominated former minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Nagpur in place of incumbent Girish Vyas. Bawankule, who hails from the Teli community, was denied a ticket by the party in the 2019 Assembly polls. A ticket to Bawankule is viewed as his political rehabilitation.

Rajhans Singh, a former Congress legislator and prominent North Indian face, has been given the ticket by BJP ahead of the BMC polls. Singh, who joined BJP just before the 2019 Assembly polls, will be the candidate from one of the council seats falling vacant in Mumbai, where corporators will vote in the election. The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, has renominated Gopikishan Bajoria from the Akola-Buldhana-Washim seat.