‘Sampark for Samarthan’ programme fails to end bitterness between the two ruling allies
By all accounts, however, the real contest will be in the Konkan and Mumbai Graduates’ division, where the BJP, Sena and the NCP are pitted against each other
Mumbai: Talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray over the former’s ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ programme seem to have failed to end the bitterness between the two ruling allies.
The Sena has gone ahead and fielded its candidates against the BJP in the Mumbai Teachers’, Konkan Graduates’ and Nashik Teachers’ constituencies for June 25 poll for Member of Legislative Council (MLC).
Shiv Sena is fielding Vilas Potnis, 70, from the Mumbai Graduates’ constituency, denying a ticket to Dr Deepak Sawant, three-term member of the Upper House and the minister for public health, while the BJP has given a ticket to Ameet Mehta. The Sena has held this constituency since 1986. The seat was famous for being that of the late Pramod Navalkar, who had held the seat for five terms between 1986 to 2006.
Thereafter, Dr Sawant held it for two of his three terms in 2006 and 2012. By all accounts, however, the real contest will be in the Konkan and Mumbai Graduates’ division, where the BJP, Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are pitted against each other. For NCP, the Konkan Graduates’ constituency is prestigious, as the former NCP MLC Niranjan Davkhare, is now the BJP candidate. NCP has given a ticket to Najib Mulla, party corporator from Thane and a close confidant of NCP legislator Jitendra Awhad. Davkhare had alleged that he was quitting the party because of Awhad’s dominance in party activities. The Shiv Sena has fielded Sanjay More, the former mayor of Thane Municipal Corporation, against the BJP’s Davkhare and the NCP’s Mulla.
In Nashik, the BJP will be fielding Aniket Vijay Patil. The Congress has supported Sandeep Bedse, candidate of the Teachers’ Democratic Front (TDF), to avoid division in votes. Bedse has also sought support from the NCP. The last day for withdrawal of nominations is June 11. Polling will be held on June 25 and counting will be on June 28.