On Sunday, Vishwajit Gaikwad, the rebel leader of BJP, pulled out his nomination as an independent candidate. He mentioned that he has chosen to retract his nomination as an independent candidate for the Udgir assembly constituency. In the Mahayuti coalition, this position has been allocated to the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit) quota. Sanjay Bansode is running for election from this constituency as the NCP (Ajit) candidate.
Vishwajit Gaikwad mentioned that he has complied with the directives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by retracting his candidacy. Simultaneously, Sambhajirao Patil Nilangekar, the MLA of Latur in Maharashtra, stated that Vishwajit Gaikwad is a committed party member who has consistently followed the party’s directives. He has moved back. He has pulled out of the candidacy to help the Mahayuti government regain power in the state.
Nilangekar stated that conversations are happening with other rebel leaders who have submitted nominations against official Mahayuti candidates. It is anticipated that they will remove their nominations.
Sambhajirao Patil Nilangekar stated that the election fight in Latur district’s 6 constituencies will be strictly between the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. NCP candidate and minister Bansode praised Gaikwad for his efforts in Udgir.
He mentioned that the NCP has been assigned the Udgir seat. Every seat is strategically important in securing the ruling alliance’s triumph. Vishwajit Gaikwad is Sunil Gaikwad’s former BJP MP nephew. He had requested a ticket for the Latur Lok Sabha seat from the BJP’s senior leadership, but Sudhakar Shrangare was re-nominated by the party. In the 2024 general elections, Sudhakar Shrangare was defeated by Shivaji Kalge of the Congress.
Meanwhile, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state president of Maharashtra BJP, issued a warning to the rebel leaders on Sunday. He stated that the rebel BJP leaders submitted their nominations due to feeling of resentment. 99 out of 100 candidates who submit their nominations out of resentment will eventually retract their candidacy. Furthermore, he mentioned that measures will be taken against individuals who do not retract their names.
The assembly polls in Maharashtra are scheduled to take place in a one-day single phase on November 20th. The outcome will be announced following the tabulation of votes on November 23. In Maharashtra, there are a combined 288 assembly seats.