E-Paper
Shirole M.I.A. has Pune loyalists strum a new BJP tune
BJP had denied Shirole a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections and fielded Girish Bapat instead. Post polls Shirole has been missing in action
The absence of former MP Anil Shirole, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade and Udyanraje Bhosale at national working president J P Nadda’s programme in Pune on Monday has raised more than the eyebrows of BJP workers in the city.
The president’s meet was held at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch where Nadda addressed party workers from western Maharashtra. Leaders and elected members from Western Maharashtra were present for this meeting, including Ranjitsinhh Mohite-Patil and Harshvardhan Patil, both newly minted BJP cadres, were present.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, local BJP followers believe that Shirole’s absence is a signal to party leadership that “loyal workers” are being sidelined in favour of “new blood”.
BJP had denied Shirole a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections and fielded Girish Bapat instead. Post polls Shirole has been missing in action.
Shirole’s supporters claimed that his son Siddharth Shirole is now active and is keen to fight polls from Shivajinagar. Both the Shiroles declined making a comment to HT.
Like Shirole, BJP MP Kakade also skipped the Nadda meet. Kakade is a must-have when chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is in the city, but Nadda apparently is not high on his must-be-at list.
