MUMBAI: In yet another blow to the Congress in Maharastra, party’s senior leader Manikrao Gavit, who had represented the Nandurbar constituency in Loka Sabha 8 times, has threatened to quit the party. He is unhappy because his son was denied party ticket to Lok Sabha.
Gavit has called an urgent meeting of his loyalists on Saturday and said that he would decide the future course of action only after consultation with his followers.
Manikarav’s son Bharat Gavit had won ZP election four times and had even been ZP Chairman for 2.5 years, which is why he was a suitable candidate for Lok Sabha, Gavit said while expressing his disappointment with the state Congress leadership.
“We should decide whether to contest independently or support the BJP at the meeting called on Saturday,” Gavit has said.
While BJP has fielded seating MP Dr Heena Gavit, the Congress has fielded KC Padvi against her. This came as a blow to Manikrao Gavit, who had been leading the party in the region for decades. Now, if he decides to work against the party, it could mean big trouble for the party in the North Maharashtra belt which had been a traditional Congress bastion.
The Nandurbar seat had never been lost by the Congress since 1952 except 2014.
Speculations are high that, looking at the current spree of big families in the state politics joining the BJP, the Gavit family could be the next name that would switch sides.
Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil’s son Sujay, former CM Vasantdada Patil’s grandson Prateek, Satara district chief Ranjeetsinh Naik Nimbalkar are some of the big names who quit the Congress to join hands with the BJP in past month; while from NCP the Mohite Patil family of Solapur switched over the side recently.