This column on Thursday said that one of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s concerns will be to get the BJP’s restive cadre to work for his candidate Naresh Mhaske in his home turf Thane. A day after Shinde named Mhaske, problems mounted in Navi Mumbai and Mira Bhayandar, which are part of the Thane constituency. Several BJP office-bearers having allegiance with Ganesh and Sanjeev Naik, resigned in protest, saying that they wouldn’t campaign for Shinde’s ‘compromised’ candidate.
What do they mean by a compromised candidate? The BJP in Navi Mumbai has accused Shinde of bartering with the Shiv Sena (UBT), whereby the rival faction put up a weak candidate against the CM’s son Dr Shrikant Shinde in Kalyan, and in return, Shinde fielded a fresher, ex-civic corporator Mhaske, to allow Rajan Vichare, the UBT candidate in Thane, an easy run. They said Ganesh Naik, a former minister and heavyweight MLA in Navi Mumbai politics, was sidelined by the CM, who influenced senior BJP leadership to leave Thane for Mhaske, instead of Naik’s ex-MP son Sanjeev Naik. Navi Mumbai BJP leaders said this at a meeting called by Ganesh Naik on Thursday. Naik was visited by Mhaske and MLA Pratap Sarnaik to explain their side and seek cooperation.
This is the first time that the Naik family has been at the centre of inconvenience for the NDA alliance. Ganesh Naik has helped the BJP to consolidate its position in the Thane constituency, especially in Navi Mumbai where he rules the roost. His son Sanjeev had represented Thane in the Lok Sabha as the NCP (undivided) member. Insiders said that the family was promised a ticket, because it hasn’t been rewarded suitably like other equally stronger political families that had shifted loyalties to the BJP and helped it expand. The BJP has four MLAs in the constituency.
In the past three decades, Naik’s exits have adversely impacted the parties he was part of. Shiv Sena was the first to get hit badly after he switched over to NCP. He quit NCP after serving it for nearly two decades. The NCP, now split, is nowhere near the close rivals in Thane district.
Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore
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