Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), has once more urged Union minister Nitin Gadkari to consider leaving the BJP if he is being "insulted". Thackeray asserted that the opposition in Maharashtra would rally behind Gadkari, ensuring his success in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a rally in Pusad, situated in Yavatmal district in eastern Maharashtra, Thackeray highlighted that individuals such as Kripashankar Singh, previously scrutinized by the BJP for alleged corruption, were included in the saffron party's initial list of candidates alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, noticeably absent was the name of Nitin Gadkari.
I had told Gadkari this two days ago, and I am repeating it again. If you are being insulted, leave the BJP and join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). We will ensure your victory. We will make you a minister when our government comes to power, and it will be a post with powers, he said.
In response to Uddhav Thackeray's proposal for Nitin Gadkari to contest as an opposition candidate, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, ridiculed the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief last week. Devendra Fadnavis had mocked the Sena (UBT) chief, saying it was like a man in the street offering someone to make US president. While acknowledging Gadkari's significance within the BJP, Fadnavis clarified that the absence of names from Maharashtra in the initial candidate list was due to ongoing seat-sharing negotiations between the BJP and its allies.