Sameer Bhujbal quits as Mumbai NCP chief, to enter poll fray as independent
Bhujbal, who resigned as Mumbai NCP president before making the announcement, will take on the sitting Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Gopal Dhatrak
Mumbai: State food and civil supplies minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s nephew Sameer Bhujbal will contest the assembly elections as an independent from the Nandgaon constituency in Nashik district, he announced on Thursday. Bhujbal, who resigned as Mumbai NCP president before making the announcement, will take on the sitting Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Gopal Dhatrak.
“ I have decided to fight against the atmosphere of terror and lack of development in the Nandgaon constituency,” the food minister’s nephew said in a press conference on Thursday. Chhagan Bhujbal will contest the polls from the adjoining Yeola constituency, where he is the sitting MLA.
A former MP, Sameer Bhujbal wanted to contest from Nandgaon, which was earlier represented by his cousin and Chhagan Bhujbal’s son Pankaj Bhujbal for two terms. He had sought a ticket from NCP but could not get the same since the seat is with the party’s ally Shiv Sena, he told reporters. He has decided to jump into the fray as he is determined to contest against Kande, he added.
Kande, meanwhile, told the media that he was not afraid of Sameer Bhujbal. “Attempts were made to pressurise me so I back out of the fray. But I refused to budge,” he said.
He also raked up allegations of corruption against the Bhujbals, indicating sour relations between the two allies – NCP and Shiv Sena – in the district.
During the Lok Sabha elections too, a tussle had broken out between Chhagan Bhujbal and the Shiv Sena unit in Nashik. Bhujbal wanted to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Nashik Sena opposed it.
Before his announcement on Thursday, Bhujbal resigned as Mumbai unit chief of NCP. “I sent my resignation as I did not want my party leaders to face any issues because of my decision to contest,” he said.
There was no reaction from the NCP to Sameer’s decision till Thursday evening. The party may have to remove him as a member since he has rebelled against the Mahayuti alliance’s official candidate.
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