Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Mahesh Gaikwad.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thane: Controversial Shiv Sena leader from Kalyan in Thane district, Mahesh Gaikwad, and nine other members of the ruling outfit have been suspended for "anti-party" activities during the ongoing Maharashtra assembly election process.
Mahesh Gaikwad hit headlines in February this year when he was shot at by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad inside a police station in Ulhasnagar town of Thane district over an old enmity.
A statement issued on Wednesday by Shiv Sena's Kalyan district chief Gopal Landge said members of the outfit, including Mahesh Gaikwad, engaged in "anti-party" activities and did not abide by directives of the leadership in the current elections.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance along with the NCP.
In another development, the BJP has suspended for six years Kalyan mandal president Varun Patil, who is contesting as an independent candidate from the Kalyan West constituency in the November 20 state assembly polls.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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