Maharashtra CM Shinde's son Shrikant to contest from Kalyan seat
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son, Shrikant Shinde, will contest from the Kalyan constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Saturday. The announcement comes a day after local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders opposed Shrikant's nomination from the Kalyan seat. To note, both the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP are members of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. The other member is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar.
Fadnavis expresses BJP's support for Shrikant's candidacy
At a press conference, Fadnavis announced that the BJP had conceded the seat to its ally, Shiv Sena. He stated, "The BJP is not opposed to Shinde's candidacy from Kalyan. He will be the joint candidate of our alliance. The BJP will stand strongly behind him." Fadnavis also assured that efforts would be made to ensure an even bigger victory margin for Shrikant in Kalyan than in previous years.
BJP's change in stance for Kalyan Lok Sabha seat
Initially, the BJP had shown interest in this seat due to its significant number of MLAs in Kalyan compared to Shiv Sena. There were also disagreements within the local BJP leadership in Kalyan over allegiance to jailed BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad. They threatened not to campaign for Shrikant if he received a ticket from Kalyan. Gaikwad is in jail for shooting a local Shiv Sena man who is regarded close to Shrikant over a property and political dispute.
BJP and Shiv Sena disagree over other seats
While the Kalyan seat issue has been resolved, more disagreements between the Shiv Sena and BJP are likely over other Lok Sabha seats. The BJP has expressed interest in the Thane Lok Sabha seat, which the Shiv Sena is unwilling to give up since CM Shinde considers it his back yard. The BJP is also seeking the Nashik Lok Sabha seat from the Shiv Sena. Additionally, the party is eyeing Mumbai South and Ratnagiri Sindhudurg seats.
