Lok Sabha election 2024: Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, reiterated his offer to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to join the Opposition coalition if he was being "insulted" by BJP, saying that the opposition in Maharashtra would ensure his victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Thackeray assured Gadkari of a key ministerial position if the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) formed the government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.
'We will ensure your victory'
Addressing a rally in Pusad, located in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, Thackeray said that individuals like former Congress leader Kripashankar Singh, previously targeted by the BJP over corruption allegations, appeared in the saffron party's first list of candidates alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but Nitin Gadkari's name was missing from the list.
"I had told Gadkari this two days ago, and I am repeating it again. If you are being insulted, leave the BJP and join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (alliance of Sena(UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress). We will ensure your victory. We will make you a minister when our government comes to power, and it will be a post with powers," he said.
Gadkari rebuffs Thackeray’s invitation
Gadkari criticised the invitation extended by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief to contest Lok Sabha elections as a Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate, labelling it as "immature and ridiculous." He emphasised that the BJP follows a systematic approach in selecting candidates for the elections.
"The suggestion of Thackeray is immature and ridiculous. There is a system of giving tickets to candidates in BJP," he said.
Gadkari exuded confidence that the BJP-led NDA will get more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
Last week, in response to Thackeray's offer to Gadkari to contest as a candidate of the opposition, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ridiculed the Sena (UBT) chief, likening it to an ordinary person on the street offering someone the position of US president.
Fadnavis explained that Gadkari, a prominent BJP leader, was not included in the first list of candidates from Maharashtra because seat-sharing discussions between the BJP and its allies were still ongoing and incomplete.
(With PTI inputs)
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