Former Maharashtra minister Baban Gholap announced his resignation from the position of deputy leader within the Shiv Sena (UBT). He also asserted that Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had intentions to rejoin their party a year ago, but he prevented it from happening.
Gholap, who represented the Nashik Road-Deolali assembly constituency for five consecutive terms, said he was in Delhi last year when Sena’s Milind Narvekar informed him about Bhujbal planning to come back to their party. Bhujbal, who presently serves as a minister in the Eknath Shinde cabinet, initiated his political journey within the Shiv Sena, remaining with the party for more than two decades. However, in 1991, he departed from the Shiv Sena to align with the Congress and subsequently became a member of the NCP, which was founded by Sharad Pawar.
Gholap said he then came to Mumbai and met then Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. I asked Uddhavji how a person who troubled late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, arrested him, filed cases against me, Raj Thackeray and many others can join the party. He has troubled all of us, Shiv Sainiks. If he joins the party, where will we go, Gholap told reporters recalling his submission to Thackeray. Ex-MLA claimed Thackeray then told his close aide Narvekar that Bhujbal should not be allowed in the party. The move was thus thwarted, Gholap said.
A Sena (UBT) leader mentioned that he discovered from their party's publication 'Saamana' that another leader named Vilas Shinde has taken over his role as the party's liaison chief for the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency. Gholap said he is a staunch Shiv Sainik who strived to expand the party’s footprints in the region. If things are moving this way, I would prefer to work as a common activist of the party.