Three seniors pose significant challenge before BJP

Mumbai: While the BJP has so far announced candidates for over 140 seats in the state and is facing rebellion within the party at several places, at least three senior leaders have posed a significant challenge before the party in areas dominated by hard-core BJP supporters.

Senior BJP leader Gopal Shetty, who had been a corporator for two terms, an MLA for two terms and an MP for two terms has rebelled against the party and filed his nomination as an independent candidate on Tuesday. He was hoping for a ticket to the Maharashtra Assembly polls from the BJP after being denied one in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year.

The former president of the Party’s Mumbai unit said he was upset over an ‘outsider’ getting the ticket. “Borivali is not a Dharamshala. Party workers had suggested my name... One of the local Borivali workers should have got a ticket here...” he said.

The BJP has fielded Sanjay Upadhyay, the Secretary for BJP Maharashtra. Upadhyay hails from Vile Parle in Mumbai and had been preparing for assembly after party gave him Rajya Sabha tickets a couple of times only to be withdrawn later.

 “I have been a loyal party worker for a very long time. I helped four BJP candidates to file their nominations. However, when the list was announced, I was dejected to see that I have not been fielded. The issue is not that I have not been given a ticket, the issue is that the candidate must have been a local BJP worker from Borivali,” Shetty reiterated.

Shetty’s rebellion presents a significant challenge for the party, given his strong influence in Borivali, where he has served multiple terms as corporator, MLA and MP. “There is no question of backtracking on the decision. I am not going to join any other party and have not given up the dialogue with the party leadership,” Shetty said.

In Mumbadevi, the party’s decision to field Shaina NC as the Shinde-led Shiv Sena candidate against Congress’s Amin Patel has sparked further dissent. Former MLA Atul Shah announced his intention to contest, protesting what he called “the imposition of an outsider” in the constituency.

“I have worked hard for the area as a corporator and MLA in the past, despite which party has chosen the person who has nothing to do with Mumbadevi. Party did not take me into confidence before announcing the candidacy,” Shah said.

Party insiders note that such open rebellion is unprecedented, with no comparable incidents in the past decade.

The third area where a senior leader is unhappy with the leadership is Ghatkopar. Six-terms MLA and former minister Prakash Mehta, who was denied party ticket in 2019 was willing to contest the election this time. However, the party decided to repeat the sitting MLA Parag Shah leaving Mehta red-faced. It needs to see how the disgruntlement of these senior leaders affect the party in the areas that had traditionally been its strongholds.