Maharashtra Election: Shiv Sena-UBT's Candidate Withdraws Nomination To Support Shinde, Says 'MVA Will Lose'

Maharashtra Election: Shiv Sena-UBT candidate Kishanchand Tanwani withdrew his nomination to extend support to Eknath Shinde, dealing a blow to Uddhav Thackeray's campaign.

Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Kishanchand Tanwani, the candidate from Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-UBT in the Sambhajinagar Central constituency, has withdrawn his nomination. Following his decision, Tanwani announced his support for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, marking a considerable blow to Uddhav Thackeray's campaign. 

Tanwani made this announcement during a press conference, just one day before the nomination deadline, which ends on October 29. He claimed, "This time, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will lose the Maharashtra Assembly elections by a large margin." There is ongoing speculation within political circles regarding the reasons behind his withdrawal, with reports suggesting that Thackeray's faction of the Shiv Sena may field another candidate in the constituency.

He expressed concerns over a potentially unfavourable electoral scenario reminiscent of the 2014 elections. In that year, Imtiaz Jaleel of the AIMIM defeated the Shiv Sena's then-undivided candidate, Pradeep Jaiswal, in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, with Tanwani, who ran on a BJP ticket, finishing in third place.

Last week, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had officially declared Tanwani as their candidate. However, Tanwani expressed dissatisfaction with Jaiswal's support during the campaign, stating, "I have been canvassing in this assembly segment for the past seven days and have realised that a situation similar to the 2014 elections is shaping up. I have decided not to contest this time."

Tanwani also mentioned that he withdrew from the race in 2019 for similar reasons, which ultimately aided Jaiswal in securing victory. The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, has announced Naser Siddiqui as their candidate for the November 20 assembly elections; Siddiqui had previously been defeated by Jaiswal in 2019.

According to news agency PTI, Tanwani noted that he has not yet communicated his decision to Uddhav Thackeray, saying, "I sought Jaiswal's help for my electoral prospects, but he is not forthcoming. I have not spoken to Uddhav Thackeray. I will speak to him and act according to his directions. My authorisation form is with Shiv Sena leader Ambadas Danve."

His sudden withdrawal is viewed as a significant blow to Uddhav Thackeray, as reports indicate that Tanwani is set to join Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction, according to ABP Majha.  

Maharashtra Election: Congress Leader Anis Ahmed Joins VBA, Says Party 'Sold Tickets' For Vidarbha Region

In another development, the Congress party suffered a setback as former minister and party leader Anis Ahmed joined the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Monday in Mumbai. He will contest from the Nagpur Central constituency, with VBA leader Prakash Ambedkar present during the announcement.

According to a report by PTI, Anis Ahmed accused the Congress of selling tickets, stating, "I have represented the Nagpur Central constituency for 15 years. I have seen that Congress has sold tickets in the Vidarbha region where there is almost no representation for communities such as Muslims, Teli, and Dalits."

Explaining his departure from Congress, Ahmed said, "I decided to leave Congress because it has failed in social engineering. In the Vidarbha region, Congress has mostly given tickets to family dynasties while ignoring other communities." 

Voting for all 288 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly will take place in a single phase on 20 November, with results expected to be announced on 23 November. 

(With Inputs By Vaibhav Parab)