In a significant blow to Shiv Sena (UBT), its candidate for the Aurangabad-cum-Jalna Local Authorities constituency election, Devyani Dongaonkar, withdrew her nomination just hours before the Thursday afternoon deadline.
Reasons for Withdrawal
Speaking to media, her husband Krushna Patil Dongaonkar stated that they were preparing to contest district bank elections and had informed the party that contesting two elections simultaneously was not feasible. Dongaonkar, who chairs a sugar mill in Gangapur, also accused the BJP of pressuring him by issuing a show-cause notice to his factory through the cooperation department regarding the dissolution of the mill's board of directors.
Party's Response
Contrary to Dongaonkar's explanation, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut announced the couple's expulsion from the party. In a social media post, Raut said, "The action has been taken on the orders of party chief Uddhav Thackeray for anti-party activities."
Backup Candidate Fielded
Amid the political drama, the party issued an AB form to Ganesh Lokhande, who was kept as a backup option. Lokhande, the group leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC), will contest against BJP's Suhas Shirsath. Political observers expect a one-sided battle given the BJP's strength in the constituency.
Krushna Patil Dongaonkar told reporters that the election result was already "clear" and nothing would change. "When party MLC Ambadas Danve asked for my wife's photo for the Legislative Council candidacy, I told him to prepare an alternative candidate. The election was expensive and pointless. I sought help from DCM Eknath Shinde, but he did not offer any," he said.
Reactions from Leaders
Reacting to the setback, Ambadas Danve stated that the party would give a "full-throated response" to the "dirty politics" of the BJP, accusing it of being based on "money, terror, and temptation."
Other Developments
In a separate incident, Sillod Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar kept his word and ensured his son withdrew his nomination. Earlier, Sattar had announced rebellion against the party, accusing the BJP of strangulating Shiv Sena, but changed his mind after meeting Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
In the Nanded Local Authorities constituency, arch-rivals Ashok Chavan of BJP and Pratap Patil Chikhalikar of NCP resolved differences, with Chikhalikar asking his son to withdraw as an independent candidate. Now, Chavan's confidant and sitting MLC Amarnath Rajurkar will contest against Krushna Patil Ashtikar, son of Hingoli Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar. Krushna will be the MVA-sponsored candidate for Shiv Sena (UBT) after Ramdas Patil, who was expected to contest as a Congress candidate, backed out.
