Gadkari terms Uddhav's invitation to contest Lok Sabha elections from MVA as 'immature and ridiculous'

Uddhav Thackeray and Nitin Gadkari. File Pic

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday described the invitation of Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray to contest Lok Sabha elections as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate as "immature and ridiculous". "BJP has a system of selecting candidates for the elections and MVA need not worry about who BJP fields," Gadkari said while speaking with PTI.

Gadkari said that Thackeray's suggestion came much before the BJP's discussion on distribution of tickets in Maharashtra for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Last week, Uddhav Thackeray while addressing a election rally bowled a googly at the BJP, offering Nitin Gadkari a Lok Sabha candidature from Nagpur, because his name was missing from the party's first list of official nominees.

Thackeray wondered why Gadkari was not named in the BJP's first list of 195. He said while a Congress import like Kripashankar Singh had found a place, the leader like Gadkari who had strived to make the party bigger, was not included in the first list.

Notably, in the first list of BJP's 195 candidates nominated for Lok Sabha 2024 elections which was released on March 8, did not include any nomination from Maharashtra. The BJP has carefully not announced any candidates for Lok Sabha from states where the party is in alliance.

In Maharashtra, the three ruling parties- BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) are yet to announce their seat sharing formula. The three party leaders are holding meeting with BJP leaders in New Delhi to finalise seat sharing in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest in the country, following 80 in Uttar Pradesh. BJP's second list of candidates is likely to be announced this week.

Meanwhile, the discussion for MVA seat sharing for Lok Sabha are also non-conslusive. MVA consists of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).

Both the Mahayuti in the state, and MVA have still not reached the final seat sharing formula, with Lok Sabha elections been just weeks away.

(With PTI inputs)