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2019 Lok Sabha polls: BJP man is Shiv Sena’s pick for Palghar
Sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rajendra Gavit joined the Shiv Sena , in the presence of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, on Tuesday. The party announced that Gavit will be the Sena’s candidate from the Palghar Lok Sabha seat against Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA).
Sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Rajendra Gavit joined the Shiv Sena , in the presence of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, on Tuesday. The party announced that Gavit will be the Sena’s candidate from the Palghar Lok Sabha seat against Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA).
With the announcement, the Sena has listed candidates for all 23 constituencies in Maharashtra they will contest from.
As a part of the alliance, the Sena forced the BJP to concede the Palghar seat, but did not have a formidable candidate. BJP’s Narendra Patil, too, joined the Sena on March 24, giving the party a candidate in Satara.
Justifying the move, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said, “We are contesting in an alliance and winning the Lok Sabha seat is important to us. Instead of looking for a candidate, we collectively decided that as an alliance has been announced, we can take the seat along with the candidate. A good player is ready with us so why experiment… They have taken our MLA in Nanded, Pratap Patil Chikhlikar; also (Union ministers) Subhash Bhambre and Suresh Prabhu in the last election. We are partners after all.”
Gavit defeated the Sena’s Shrinivas Wanga in the bypoll for the Palghar seat in May 2018. Shrinivas is the son of Chintaman Wanga, the BJP MP whose death had necessitated the bypoll. Wanga is now expected to contest the Assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters at Thackeray’s residence Matoshree, Gavit said the decision was taken in consultation with CM Devendra Fadnavis.
Wanga said he had decided not to contest the LS election, and will fight the Assembly polls instead.
