Omie Kalani proposes to contest from NCP (SP)

NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad at the Team Omie Kalani’s summit in Goa. Pics/Navneet Barhate

Omie Kalani's decision to support Shrikant Shinde during the recent Lok Sabha elections has come back to haunt him in a way that will impede his plans to contest the Assembly polls. Omie Kalani is a politician from Ulhasnagar and son of a staunch loyalist of Sharad Pawar, Pappu Kalani. The second generation politician had announced in a recent public meeting that he would contest the Ulhasnagar Assembly seat from the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP. However, Kalani's hopes were dashed as senior leaders of NCP (SP) had announced that they will not give tickets to those who had not supported them during the recent Lok Sabha polls.

During the Lok Sabha polls, Kalani not only openly declared his support for Shinde, he also actively campaigned for Shinde in Ulhasnagar against the candidate put by Maha Vikas Aghadi, of which NCP (SP) is a constituent. Ahead of the Assembly polls, Kalani's party Team Omie Kalani (TOK) recently had a meeting in Goa. Office-bearers of the party were given responsibilities for the Assembly polls. Later Kalani announced in a public meeting that he will be contesting the election from the NCP (SP) faction. The meeting was also attended by NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad and senior leaders from the NCP (SP) faction. Awhad clarified at Goa that the party had not finalised on the nomination for Ulhasnagar. It is now being speculated that Kalani may have been hasty in his decision to declare his candidacy from the NCP (SP) group.

At a recently organised meeting in Ulhasnagar by NCP (SP), party observer Bhagwan Tavare stated that those who had worked for the rivals of Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Lok Sabha polls will not be getting a ticket for the Assembly polls. It appears that the NCP (SP) is looking to bring in new faces rather than accommodating those who betrayed the party in the Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 Assembly polls, Kalani had announced that he would contest on a BJP ticket from Ulhasnagar, whereas he didn't get the ticket. Speaking to mid-day, Kalani said, "It is my first choice to contest from the NCP (SP) and I will get the opportunity. Else, I have my own party Team Omie Kalani and could contest as an Independent candidate. Our party has 22 corporators in the city."