Maharashtra polls
Maharashtra polls: Upset over poll ticket denial, senior BJP leader rebels; says will contest as independent candidate
Mumbai/IBNS: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopal Shetty is protesting against his party after getting upset over the Borivali Assembly Election ticket being given to an "outsider" instead of him for the upcoming Maharashtra polls, media reports said.
Shetty announced that he would contest the election as an independent candidate.
The BJP has fielded Mumbai unit general secretary Sanjay Upadhyay from Borivali replacing sitting legislator Sunil Rane.
"It is necessary to oppose this tradition of fielding candidates from outside, so I will fight as an independent candidate," Shetty told NDTV.
"No matter what happens, I will not back down," he added.
"I was not interested in contesting this election. But my supporters told me about the gravity of the situation. First Vinod Tawde contested from here in 2014, then Sunil Rane in 2019. This time, the Lok Sabha ticket from Mumbai North was given to Piyush Goyal. This is happening for the fourth time with Upadhyay being nominated," Setty said, stating that Sanjay Upadhyay is not a resident of Borivali.
The BJP leader also alleged that he got to know about the move of his party through "a TV flash".
"I saw a TV flash that Sanjay Upadhyay got a BJP ticket from Borivali."
"So, I have decided to fill the form tomorrow and contest the election," he added.
Maharashtra will vote for the assembly elections on November 20, with counting of votes set for November 23.
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