KALYAN: Amidst speculation that the Kalyan East ticket may go to the wife of BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who is currently in jail, Shiv Sena city president Mahesh Gaikwad has stated that if the BJP awards the ticket to Ganpat or his family, he will rebel and contest as an independent candidate.
There is a longstanding enmity between Ganpat Gaikwad and Mahesh Gaikwad in Kalyan. This year, Ganpat Gaikwad shot Mahesh Gaikwad inside a police station due to a property dispute. Since then, both Ganpat and his son Vaibhav have been incarcerated.
This situation marks the second setback for Mahayuti ahead of the assembly polls in Thane District. Earlier, Dipesh Mahatre from Dombivli of the Shiv Sena Shinde group left Shiv Sena and joined the UBT amid news that the ticket would again go to the BJP's quota.
Mahesh Gaikwad has criticized Ganpat Gaikwad, stating that despite being an MLA three times, he failed to undertake any development work in the city. According to Mahesh, Kalyan East lacks good roads, playgrounds, and gardens. He believes that the public will not elect such a candidate this time. Mahesh warned that if the BJP again gives the ticket to Ganpat Gaikwad or someone from his family, the situation in the city will worsen, prompting him to contest the election as an independent.
Since Ganpat Gaikwad's imprisonment, his wife, Sulabha Gaikwad, has been actively involved in assembly politics. Political sources suggest that her ticket from this seat is almost confirmed. Mahesh had hoped that, due to his closeness with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde, this seat would come under Shiv Sena's quota. However, it appears this is not happening. As a result, Mahesh has decided to leave the Mahayuti alliance and prepare to contest the election independently from this seat.
If this occurs, the election from this seat could become a triangular contest.
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