Mumbai: BJP leader Murji Patel has rebelled against his party by filing his papers from the Andheri East assembly constituency as an Independent candidate to contest the forthcoming election.
Patel claims citizens have decided to field him as an Independent and that he has no issues with the party. In keeping with the seat-sharing arrangents between the BJP, Shiv Sena and the Republican Party of India, the Sena is fielding its candidate from the Andheri East assembly constituency.
He is pitted against Ramesh Latke of Shiv Sena. Along with thousands of supporters, he set out on a 2-km-long rally on Thursday in a show of strength and reached the nomination centre to file his papers.
He was a BJP corporator from ward 81 in Andheri and expected to be nominated. He felt letdown after the service he had rendered as corporator when the seat went to the Sena.
But his supporters wanted him to contest the assembly election on his own, so on Thursday, with thousands of his supporters Murji Patel filed his nomination papers.
“I have not left the party but the people have showed their strong faith in me and asked me to contest the election. That is why I don’t want to disappoint supporters and I have filed my nomination.
I am sure the work I have done for the last 20 years in my ward and for my people will pay dividends,” said Patel. Further, he chanted, “Modi tujhse bair nahi, aur Shiv Sena ki khair nahi.”
By Vikas Nag
