Maharashtra: BJP MLA To Be Sena (UBT)'s LS Candidate In Kalyan?

Speculations are rife that party MLA from Murbad Kisan Kathore, owing to his soured relations with Union minister Kapil Patil, might contest the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat as the candidate of Shiv Sena (UBT).

At a recent review meeting of Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency at Matorshree, Kathore's name was discussed as the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s prospective candidate for Kalyan or Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituencies. This led to widespread speculation due to open rivalry between the Murbad MLA and the Union minister of state for Panchayati Raj who represents the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency.
Though Kathore denied the report at a press conference and expressed loyalty with the party while stating that he can not control what Uddhav Thackeray thinks, the speculations haven't died off.

Kathore had been critical of Madhukar Mohpe

Kathore had been critical of the working style of Thane Rural BJP president Madhukar Mohpe, who is very close to Patil. While this is believed to have adversely affected the BJP's prospects in Bhiwandi constituency, Patil is learnt to have said that the party doesn't depend upon any one individual. The issue was expected to come up at the meeting, but leaders avoided any comment on whether it was discussed.

Meeting to review party's organisational as well as election preparedness

Meanwhile, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and national co-organising secretary Shivprakash, in a series of meetings throughout the day, reviewed the party's organisational as well as election preparedness in the state.

The meetings began with party leaders from Western Maharashtra and followed by Eastern Vidarbha, West Vidarbha, North Maharashtra, Marathwada, Konkan and Mumbai. The meetings started early in the morning and went on till late in the night. After a group meeting of all the leaders from a zone, the MLAs and MPs were given individual hearings by all the three leaders.

Zonal organisational secretaries too attended the respective meetings of the zones and issues like election preparedness, prospective candidates, expectations from the party organizations were deliberated in detail, sources said.