MUMBAI: Trouble is brewing the alliance between BJP and Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena over the Kalyan-Dombivali Lok Sabha seat which is represented by Shrikant Shinde, son of the chief minister.
Shrikant Shinde in a video message released on Friday evening said he is ready to resign as Lok Sabha MP if the BJP is adamant about getting his Kalyan Dombivali seat over a trifle issue.
“BJP and its party workers should not make one of the senior police officer postings a big issue. This is a small matter. We have to work for the larger goal and to make Narendra Modi once again as Prime Minister of India,” Dr Shrikant Shinde said.
There is simmering tensions between the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena came to the fore a day after the inauguration of several projects in Dombivli by CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in Diva.
BJP Leaders and party workers of the Kalyan-Dombivli unit, angry over the Shiv Sena’s deliberate omission of Devendra Fadnavis's photograph from hoardings and posters, passed a resolution demanding the transfer of senior police inspector Suresh Bagde of Manpada police station considered close to Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde.
BJP leaders have alleged that Bagde was instrumental in filing a false case of molestation against BJP’s Dombivi Mandal president Nandu Joshi Shrikant Shinde said he has been representing Kalyan Dombivali seat for the last nine years and undertaken plenty of development projects and people overwhelmingly voted for him.
“If BJP has a better candidate than him and then he is ready to resign, then he is ready to do it but BJP should not make small thing as an issue and create trouble in Shiv Sena-BJP alliance,” Shinde said. BJP has been eyeing Kalyan Dombivali's seat saying this is RSS-BJP dominated seat so they should get back this Lok Sabha seat.
Union minister Anurag Thakur has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Kalyan-Dombivali seat, while Maharashtra cabinet minister and BJP MLA Ravindra Chavan has been tipped to contest from this seat.
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