BJP drops bomb on biggies

After Eknath Khadse the BJP high command has denied Assembly poll tickets to other senior leaders from Maharashtra Ministers Vinod Tawde Chandrashekhar Bawankule exministers Prakash Mehta and Raj Purohit are among the big names dropped on Friday the last day of filing nominationsA defiant Khadse was mollified after his daughter Rohini was given a ticket from Muktainagar but supporters of Mehta and Tawde were enraged Mehtas group went on a rampage in Ghatkopar East where they damaged a car of sitting corporator Parag Shah who has taken over from Mehta MLA since 1990 The partys final declaration confirmed that it had dropped 19 sitting MLAs including ministersIn Borivli Tawde who once ran for the CMs post was replaced by Sunil Rane Rane has lost two elections in the past and does not stay in the western suburbs Bawankule was replaced with lowprofile party worker Tekchand Savarkar The ministers wife Jyoti too did not get the party endorsementRaj PurohitColaba legislator Purohit who began his sixterm career along with Mehta in 1990 when the party had a handful MLAs in Mumbai handed the baton over to MLC Rahul Narvekar who was poached from NCP Narvekar is the soninlaw of Ramraje Nimbalkar the chairman of legislative council and senior NCP leader Narvekars entry is seen as an indication of Nimbalkars induction in the NCP in futureParty decision acceptedKhadse accepted the partys diktat and changed the track once his daughter was cleared on Friday morning Appointed as a star campaigner he said the party had made way for the new generation I accept the decision and will not comment any more I will campaign for the partys win he said slamming NCP chief Sharad Pawar for creating doubts over his political movesPawar is known for confusing people I said yesterday I was not going anywhere Im a BJP worker and will remain one he saidRohini said her father had been fighting for the BJPs growth Its an emotional moment for me said Rohini after filing her nominationA visibly upset Tawde told a media conference that he was introspecting I think the party will also think about it the decision if it is wrong I dont want to assess the decision today But will discuss it with party seniors after the elections because I want to clarify whether any wrong information about me was provided My ministerial work was appreciated by the high commandI can work for the people even without being a minister or legislator I believe in the RSS and BJP ideology that keeps the nation first party second and the individual last on their priority list he said He also appreciated CM Devendra Fadnavis Chandrakant Patil and Prakash Mehta for trying their best to get him a ticket But then the parliamentary board takes decisions We work as a team There are no competitors within the party he said adding that there were no corruption cases against him I have decided to work for winning 23rd majority for the BJP he saidChandrashekhar BawankuleHowever Tawdes supporters reached MP Gopal Shettys office in Borivli to lodge a protest and demanded that outsider Ranes nomination be scrappedWhy no collective decisionMehta objected to the method of decisionmaking He said he wanted the party to take into consideration the opinion of local people before deciding a candidate We should have sat together and arrived at a consensus I had demanded it but it didnt happen he said adding that there were several other party workers who deserved the partys consideration on the basis of their workMehta did not speak about the allegations that he faced while serving as housing minister The accusations forced his ouster from the cabinet and also from the electoral race said party insiders adding that the BJP felt a person who has been there for 30 years shouldnt expect a ticket at the cost of new faces Purohit was not available for commentHigh drama in NagpurOn a day the CM and others filed his nomination tension in the Bawankule camp was palpable The energy minister who is close to Nitin Gadkari and Fadnavis didnt get clearance till the last moment While he stayed with the CM Bawankules wife Jyoti filed a nomination from Kamptee but Tekchand Savarkar was made an official candidate in the final list of 164 candidates that also included smaller allies who would be contesting on the BJPs election symbolPrakash MehtaIm not ignored I have been an MLA for 15 years including five years as a minister The chief minister wanted me to work in eastern Vidarbha in the elections My constituency is such that any BJP worker can win easily here Bawankule saidCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates