Lok Sabha Election 2024: Nitin Gadkari rejects Uddhav’s invitation to contest Lok Sabha polls for MVA
Nitin Gadkari, Uddhav Thackeray.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has criticised the invitation extended by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for him to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as immature and ridiculous.
Nitin Gadkari, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagpur in Maharashtra, and has won the seat in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.
Thackeray's offer to Gadkari surfaced after the latter's name was notably absent from the BJP's initial list, which announced candidates for 195 seats.
Gadkari responded by dismissing the suggestion as immature, emphasising the BJP's established system for ticket distribution.
“The suggestion is immature and ridiculous. The BJP has a system of giving tickets to candidates,” Gadkari told news agency PTI.
The 66-year-old former BJP president expressed confidence in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, winning 400 seats and securing a third consecutive term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Lok Sabha polls, anticipated to take place in April-May, hold significance for Maharashtra,which contributes 48 members to the 543-seat Lok Sabha, second only to Uttar Pradesh (80).
Uddhav Thackeray, addressing a meeting on March 3, had criticised the BJP for excluding Gadkari from their candidates' list. Thackeray suggested that Gadkari should display Maharashtra's resilience by resigning instead of yielding to Delhi, pledging support for his election as an MVA candidate.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition alliance comprises Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the Sharad Pawar faction ofNationalist Congress Party, while the BJP governs Maharashtra in collaboration with the Shiv Sena and NCP.
Despite the political manoeuvring, both the NDA and MVA face challenges in finalising a seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the upcoming polls.
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Earlier, BJP released its first list of candidates for the upcoming General Elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term. With 195 candidates from across 16 states announced on Saturday (Mar 2), the BJP has attempted to strike a balance between the old guard and new faces. The party led by JP Nadda has also attempted to balance the social representation on caste lines.
The first list included 28 women and 47 candidates below 50 years of age.
(With inputs from agencies)