Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
A wave of political excitement swept through city politics, particularly within the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) camp, after former municipal corporation standing committee chairman and Shiv Sena (UBT) Mahanagar chief Renukadas Vaidya, also known as Raju Vaidya, submitted his resignation on Monday and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday in Mumbai. The induction took place in the presence of the senior party leaders, and public representatives. The chief minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed him and extended his best wishes.
While speaking to our scribe after joining the BJP, Vaidya said, “I do not regret my decision. I am happy with this move. I joined the party with the aim of contributing to the development of the city. I will sincerely perform whatever responsibility the party and its leadership assign to me.”
However, Vaidya declined to elaborate further when asked about the underlying reasons behind the explanations mentioned in his resignation from Shiv Sena (UBT). “I stand by the reasons stated in my resignation. They are true and genuine,” he said.
When questioned about the prabhag from which he would contest the upcoming civic elections, Vaidya avoided a direct response. He said that the seat-sharing process is underway. “I will prove myself wherever the party decides to field me,” he said.
Along with Vaidya, Akshay Khedkar, the organiser of the Phulambri Assembly constituency, also joined the BJP. The event was attended by BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, OBC Welfare Minister Atul Save, MP Dr Bhagwat Karad, MLC Sanjay Kenekar, district president Shirish Boralkar, and city president Kishore Shitole. The Chief Minister also formally welcomed him and Khedkar.
As reported earlier, Raju Vaidya had submitted his resignation to the party leadership on Monday morning and shared it on social media, including as his mobile status. The development triggered widespread discussion across the city by the afternoon. In his resignation letter, Vaidya cited internal factionalism, along with the rigidity and obstinacy of party leaders, as reasons for his decision.
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Vaidya was elected as chairman of the standing committee of the municipal corporation in June 2018 on a ticket from the undivided Shiv Sena. He had also filed his nomination for the Aurangabad East Assembly constituency in the last election but later withdrew his candidature. He also tried his luck by contesting MLC (graduate constituency).