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Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Shiv Sena first took Palghar seat from BJP, may get its MP too
In May 2018, Rajendra Gavit crossed over from the Congress to the BJP to contest the Palghar by-poll and won the election He is now likely to quit the BJP and contest on a Sena ticket to retain his Lok Sabha seat, senior Sena leaders said.
After forcing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to concede the Palghar Lok Sabha seat, the Shiv Sena appears all set to pick the sitting BJP MP from Palghar, Rajendra Gavit. According to their alliance deal, BJP gave up the seat for the Sena to put up its candidate. But now, it seems Sena is set to ditch its 2018 by-polls candidate Shrinvas Wanga.
In May 2018, Gavit crossed over from the Congress to the BJP to contest the Palghar by-poll against a Sena candidate. Gavit is now likely to quit the BJP and contest on a Sena ticket to retain his Lok Sabha seat, senior Sena leaders said. Another senior party functionary said that the move to trade a BJP candidate is aimed to ensure a certain win.
According to a Sena leader, Gavit will meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday night and announce his decision. “We are certain to field Gavit from Palghar; once he meets the CM and conveys his decision, the party will announce it officially,” the Sena leader said.
With the development, the fate of Wanga now hangs in the balance. Ironically, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, during the 2018 by-poll in Palghar had said that the Sena was doing so to give justice to Shrinivas, son of Chintaman Wanga, the BJP MP whose death had necessitated the by-poll.
During the campaigning for the by-poll, Thackeray had slammed the BJP for “abandoning” the family of the MP after his death. When the Wanga family joined the Sena in May 2018, Thackeray said that they “decided to hold their hands as the BJP did not bother to take care of them”.
Sena functionaries pointed out that Wanga’s popularity and reach in Palghar is questionable. Apart from that, there is a section of BJP workers and office-bearers that is unhappy with the party leadership for giving up the seat. “The idea is to ensure a win for sure. Shrinivas is not a seasoned politician, he is still learning. With Gavit, we could also reach out to urban, semi-urban population apart from the tribal population of the constituency,” a functionary said. If Wanga is not given a Lok Sabha nomination, he could be accommodated in the legislative assembly election later in the year.
In Satara too, the Sena’s candidate, Narendra Patil, was earlier in BJP. On Sunday, Patil, a mathadi kamgaar leader, formally joined the Sena, and Thackeray said that he “asked for Patil to contest the Satara seat.”
When asked about Gavit securing a Sena ticket, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande dismissed it and said, “Let us wait for the party president Uddhav ji to announce the candidate for Palghar seat.” Despite several attempts, senior Sena leader Subhash Desai, who is involved in deciding candidates, was unavailable for comment.
