Nashik: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Nashik and the Shiv Sena in Jalgaon are grappling with internal dissent ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections, nominations for which closed on Monday. Despite a seat-sharing agreement within the Mahayuti alliance — allocating the Nashik seat to the Shiv Sena and the Jalgaon seat to the BJP — rebels from within the two parties have entered the fray, creating an awkward situation for both sides.
Rebel Nomination in Nashik
In Nashik, BJP’s Ganesh Gite filed his nomination as an independent candidate, defying the alliance decision to back the Shiv Sena nominee. City BJP chief Sunil Kedar made it clear that no party member had any justification to contest the election as an independent. “Once it was decided that the Shiv Sena would contest the Nashik seat, there is no reason for any BJP member to enter the poll fray, even as an independent. Gite has filed his nomination and the party has directed him to withdraw or face strict action for violating the party line,” Kedar said.
Gite, a former chairman of the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s standing committee, has a history of rebellion. He had earlier contested the assembly elections against the party’s official candidate under the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) banner but was unsuccessful. Though he later rejoined the BJP, his latest move has again put the party in a difficult position.
Disciplinary Action Against Supporters
Adding to the concern, 10 corporators from Nashik city have reportedly backed Gite as proposers. The BJP has initiated disciplinary action against them. “The state leadership has sought written explanations from the corporators involved and warned of severe consequences, including suspension, for anti-party activities,” Kedar said.
He feared that such dissent could lead to cross-voting in the secret ballot. Notices have been issued to the corporators, asking them to clarify their positions. A senior BJP functionary said if Gite refused to withdraw, the corporators supporting him might be suspended to minimise damage to the alliance candidate.
Rebel Nominations in Jalgaon
In Jalgaon, two Shiv Sena members, Reshma Kale and Deepak Dhande, have also filed nominations as independents, even though the BJP is contesting the seat as part of the alliance agreement. Shiv Sena functionaries, however, downplayed the development. “They cannot be called rebels yet. They have only filed nominations and can still withdraw before the deadline. There is no reason for the BJP to be concerned at this stage,” a senior Shiv Sena member said, adding that the party would act if they persisted in the contest.
