Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Pune's Shivajinagar, Siddharth Shirole, who has been renominated to contest the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls from the seat, on Monday thanked Madhukar Musale for withdrawing his nomination.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Shirole wrote, "My heartfelt gratitude to Adv Madhukar Musale, a dedicated BJP worker, selfless councillor and elder brother-like figure to me, for withdrawing his candidacy from the Shivajinagar Assembly constituency."
"Upholding the core values of the BJP—nation first, party second and self last—Musale's decision to step aside has ensured a clear path to victory for the Mahayuti in the Shivajinagar constituency," he added.
"As the party's candidate, I am deeply thankful for his unwavering support. His exemplary act will inspire thousands of karyakartas who tirelessly work for the success of the Mahayuti. Once again, I express my sincere thanks to him," Shirole further said.
Musale too took to social media and announced his support for Shirole. "I have been working for BJP for 30 years, working very honestly and loyally without ever thinking about power. Therefore, I am announcing my support to Siddharth Shirole, the candidate of the BJP from Shivajinagar Assembly constituency."
Meanwhile, Shirole is once again set to face off against Congress's Datta Bahirat. In the 2019 Assembly elections, Bahirat lost to Shirole by a narrow margin of 5,200 votes.
