On Wednesday (27th March), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) announced its first list of 17 candidates for the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction which is also a member of the opposition’s I.N.D.I. Alliance has miffed Congress as it was eyeing the Mumbai South West, Bhiwandi and Sangli seats.
In this vein, Tehseen Poonawalla, the Congress sympathiser and brother-in-law of Robert Vadra slammed the Shiv Sena (UBT) for unilaterally deciding to field candidates on the three seats Congress was seeking. Taking a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) for having lost its party, its symbol as well as its leaders, Poonawalla asserted that the party is not ‘trustworthy’.
“The #ShivsenaUBT which lost their PARTY, their Symbol and their leaders decided unilaterally to declare the name of the #LokSabhaElection2024 candidates from the three seats that the #Congress was seeking – Sangli, North West Mumbai, South Central Mumbai. As of today Congress is the strongest opposition party in Maharashtra. How long can we trust the #ShivsenaUBT!” Tehseen Poonawalla posted on X today.
The #ShivsenaUBT which lost their PARTY, their Symbol and their leaders decided unilaterally to declare the name of the #LokSabhaElection2024 candidates from the three seats that the #Congress was seeking – Sangli, North West Mumbai, South Central Mumbai. As of today Congress is…
— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) March 27, 2024
It is pertinent to recall that in February last year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had declared that the party name “Shiv Sena” and the symbol “Bow and Arrow” would be retained by the Eknath Shinde faction.
Shiv Sena (UBT) releases first list of candidates
Earlier today, Shiv Sena (UBT) released the first list of its candidates for the coming Lok Sabha elections. The party has fielded Anil Desai from the Mumbai South Central constituency. Shiv Sena (UBT) has also given tickets to former Union Ministers Anant Geete and Arvind Sawant from the Raigad and South Mumbai constituencies, respectively.
Interestingly, the Congress desired Mumbai South West, Bhiwandi, and Sangli for themselves. Congress had nominated Vishal Patil for Sangli, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) chose wrestler Chandrahar Patil.
Moreover, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam wanted to fight the election from Mumbai North, but the Shiv Sena (UBT) nominated sitting MP Gajanan Kiritkar’s son Amol Kirtikar. Notably, Gajanan Kiritkar is currently a member of the Shive Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde.
Sanjay Nirupam asks Congress to break alliance with Sena (UBT)
Congress’s Sanjay Nirupam has even urged the party’s high command to break the alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) saying that the party has taken an “extreme stand”.
“Shiv Sena should not take an extreme stand. This will cause a huge loss to Congress. I want to attract the attention of Congress leadership to intervene, if not then break the alliance to save the party. The decision of an alliance with Shiv Sena will prove self-destructive for Congress,” Nirupam said.
#WATCH | After Shiv Sena (UBT) announces candidates for 5 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam says, "Shiv Sena should not take an extreme stand. This will cause a huge loss to Congress. I want to attract the attention of Congress leadership to… pic.twitter.com/5a1NsbYHV9
— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2024
Notably, all current Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs received tickets, including Vinayak Raut from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Omraje Nimbalkar from Osmanabad (Dharashiv), Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani, Arvind Sawant from Mumbai South, and Sanjay Deshmukh from Yavatmal-Washim.
According to Sanjay Raut, the party will contest 22 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, with the remaining candidates to be revealed within the next day or two. Reports say that Shiv Sena (UBT) intends to contest Palghar, Hatkanangale, and Kalyan-Dombivli seats.
