Shiv Sena member of Parliament (MP) and Aurangabad Lok Sabha candidate Chandrakant Khaire has accused state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Raosaheb Danve of “backstabbing” him by working against him in favour of his son-in-law Harshvardhan Jadhav, who contested as an independent. The BJP has refuted the allegation.

Khaire accused Danve of providing all the necessary resources to Jadhav during his electioneering. “Danve’s wife called up everyone and told them to vote for the tractor (Jadhav’s symbol). Danve provided all possible help to his son-in-law,” alleged Khaire. “This man is responsible for dividing the Hindu votes as he worked against the alliance,” he added. Khaire said he had complained to BJP president Amit Shah and suggested that he ask Danve to disown Jadhav in a press conference. However, it didn’t happen, he said.

BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhyay refuted Khaire’s allegations. ‘’The entire BJP cadre along with its president campaigned for Khaire. Even chief minister Fadnavis had asked all BJP workers to ensure his victory,” said Upadhyay.

Aurangabad, which voted on April 23, witnessed a four-cornered fight in the polls. Apart from Jadhav, Khaire also ran against Subhash Zambad of the Congress and Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi- All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate Imtiyaz Jaleel.

The Sena was wary of Jadhav contesting as an independent as he was expected to take away a chunk of Maratha votes from Khaire. Jadhav was a Shiv Sena legislator from Aurangabad district but he resigned demanding reservation for Marathas.

He was interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections and as none of the prominent parties offered him candidature, he contested as an independent. Aurangabad has a huge Dalit and Muslim population. In recent years, AIMIM has been able to make inroads in the region with Jaleel being elected as a legislator. It also has a good presence in the civic body.

First Published: May 05, 2019 00:32 IST