Maharashtra Elections: BJP, Sena convince rebels to withdraw nominations

Aurangabad: The BJP and Shiv Sena have succeeded in convincing most of the rebels to withdraw their nominations against official candidates of the two allies in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district for the upcoming Assembly polls.

On the last date of withdrawal of nominations on Monday, several dissenters, who had entered the poll fray against BJP minister Atul Save, outgoing Assembly’s Speaker Haribhau Bagade and other official nominees, backed out.

Save is the BJP’s nominee from Aurangabad (East) Assembly seat, while Bagade is contesting from Phulambri seat.

After being persuaded, Renukadas Vaidya of the Sena withdrew his nomination against Save in Aurangabad (East).

“The BJP and Shiv Sena are allies and contesting the polls together. Hence, workers of both the parties should work together. We tried our best to counsel the rebel candidates and have been successful. This will help the alliance to gain maximum success in Aurangabad,” Save told PTI.

However, he said, they failed to convince BJP worker Raju Shinde to withdraw, who filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from Aurangabad (West) seat, where Sanjay Shirsat is contesting on the Shiv Sena’s ticket.

The BJP also managed to pacify its city unit deputy president Balasaheb Gaikwad to withdraw his nomination, filed as an Independent, from the seat.

Meanwhile, the nomination form of the opposition Congress candidate Ramesh Gaikwad from the seat was rejected after it was found to be incomplete.

In Aurangabad (Central) seat, where Pradeep Jaiswal of the Sena is the saffron alliance’s official candidate, the BJP managed to convince its city unit chief Kishanchand Tanwani, who filed nomination as an Independent, to back out.

In Sillod constituency, where former Congress leader Abdul Sattar is contesting on the Sena’s ticket, the BJP pacified its leader Suresh Bankar and party worker Sunil Mirkar to withdraw their nominations on Monday.

In Kannad seat, where Kishor Pawar, the son-in-law of state Cabinet minister Babanrao Lonikar, is contesting, Shiv Sena leader Raju Rathod withdrew from the poll race.

Besides, in Vaijapur seat, where the Sena has fielded Ramesh Bornare, BJP’s Dinesh Pardeshi and Eknath Jadhav, who filed their papers as Independents, pulled out of the poll fray.

The district, located in Marathwada region, has a total nine Assembly constituencies.