Committed grave mistake of siding with CM Shinde: Sena's Palghar MLA after being denied ticket

Palghar: Upset over being denied ticket by his party, sitting Shiv Sena MLA from Maharashtra's Palghar, Shrinivas Vanga, has said he committed a "grave mistake" of siding with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and joining his party.

Srinivas, the son of late BJP MP Chintaman Vanga, became an MLA after winning the 2019 assembly elections as a candidate of undivided Shiv Sena from the Palghar (Scheduled Tribes) seat. After a split in the Shiv Sena, Vanga supported Shinde. He was hoping to get renominated from the seat by the party.

However, the party gave candidature to former MP Rajendra Gavit, who had also sided with Shinde when he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022.

In its list of 20 nominees announced on Sunday, the Shiv Sena fielded Gavit from the Palghar assembly constituency.

After learning that he has been denied re-nomination by the party, a visibly upset Vanga told reporters on Monday, "I made a grave mistake by joining the Shinde-led faction." He also described Shinde's rival and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray as a "dev manus" (Godlike man).

Talking to news channels, his family members expressed concern over his present state of mind, and said he has not only stopped interacting with them and having food, but is also crying and threatening to harm his own life.

After learning about the situation, CM Shinde reportedly contacted Vanga's wife, assuring that her husband would be considered for a role as a member of the Maharashtra legislative council.

Videos of Vanga's emotional responses have since gone viral on social media and news channels.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.