Mahayuti drops 12 MPs & MVA just 1; for BJP, 'winnability' key
Mahayuti drops 12 MPs & MVA just 1; for BJP, ‘winnability’ key
MUMBAI: After seat-sharing tussles going on till the last minute, the Mahayuti comprising the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance has dropped 12 sitting MPs across Maharashtra. While BJP has dropped 7 sitting MPs, the Eknath Shinde-led Sena has dropped 5. The NCP had only one sitting MP in Sunil Tatkare, who has been repeated from Raigad.
On the other hand, in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Shiv Sena (UBT) has once again put up all its 5 sitting MPs and NCP (Sharad Pawar) has dropped just one out of three (Shrinivas Patil) and given the poll ticket to the other two (Supriya Sule from Baramati and Dr Amol Kolhe from Shirur).
The Congress had only one sitting MP, Suresh Dhanorkar, from Chandrapur, who passed away. One BJP MP Girish Bapat from Pune too passed away last year. BJP functionaries said that for their party, which has set itself a target of 370 Lok Sabha seats and 400 for the NDA, the winnability factor is the driving force behind selection of candidates. The state unit and central leadership have vetted work done in the last five years by each of its sitting MPs. The mood of the people has also been gathered, and the party has been ruthless in not renominating those who have not performed.
With many incumbents in the Mahayuti losing out, they are eyeing rehabilitation as MLCs or a berth in Rajya Sabha. Some may even contest the state assembly elections slated for October this year.
The BJP had three sitting MPs in Mumbai: Poonam Mahajan from Mumbai North Central, Manoj Kotak from Mumbai North East and Gopal Shetty from Mumbai North. All three have been dropped. While Shetty is a party veteran and two-term MP, Mahajan too served two terms. Kotak was a first-time MP but was dropped. The party also dropped Sanjay Dhotre from Akola, who is unwell, but his son Anup Dhotre was given a ticket. Others it dropped are Unmesh Patil from Jalgaon, Jaisiddeshwar Maharaj from Solapur and Pritam Munde from Beed (giving the poll ticket to her sister Pankaja Munde).
In Sena, Krupal Tumane from Ramtek, Gajanan Kirtikar from Mumbai North West and Bhavana Gawali from Yavatmal Washim were among those not renominated, while Hemant Patil from Hingoli was dropped after his name was initially announced. The party also had to drop Rajendra Gavit as BJP took his Palghar seat and gave the ticket to Dr Hemant Savara.
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