The BJP on Monday, which is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the Maharashtra polls, was elated after the party’s two-term MP, Gopal Shetty decided not to contest as an Independent and extended his support to the party nominee Sanjay Upadhyay from the Borivali constituency.
The efforts by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde yielded positive results.
Fadnavis and Tawde had met Shetty in the last two days urging him not to contest as an Independent but to follow the party line.
Shetty on Monday announced his decision in the presence of Fadnavis, Tawde and party secretary Shiv Kumar.
The BJP was worried that Shetty, who enjoys support from the party's rank and file, may have hampered party nominee Sanjay Upadhyay’s poll prospects.
Shetty, who was denied a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections when the party nominated Piyush Goyal from the Borivali seat in the General Elections, was also up in arms against the party’s decision.
However, he ultimately fell in line after Fadnavis’ intervention and supported Goyal who was elected from the Borivali seat.
Shetty had criticised Upadhyay’s nomination saying that Borivali is not a Dharamashala (rest house) where anyone can come and contest.
On Saturday after his meeting with Fadnavis he had said, “Even today I am firm on my stand. Whatever work I am doing is for the benefit of the party. My point is that I will not go to another party. The BJP’s policy is quite different from other parties. There are some people in the party who are harming its interests. My fight is against them.”
Shetty, who held an interaction with Tawde on Friday, said, “I have often said that the Sangh Parivar and the Bharatiya Janata Party have taught the workers to step forward. I have been saying since day one that I have not left the party and will not. Even if the party removes me, I will not leave the party,” remarked Shetty.
“In such a situation, the party has to work as a party. Otherwise there will be no discipline. I will do what I have to do in the interest of the party. If I step forward, it will be for the benefit of the party,” he added.
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