Three seats remain stuck in the craw for Mahayuti: Here’s why
Hindustan TimesThe deadlock over the selection of candidates by Mahayuti for the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Vidarbha —Yavatmal, Buldhana, and Amravati – continues as the partners are yet to reach any consensus. The BJP is adamant about replacing the two Shinde faction incumbent MPs — Bhavna Gawli and Prataprao Jadhav — while insisting the Amravati seat is left to them, thus leading to uncertainty and anxiety among the Mahayuti partners as the nomination filing process commences on March 28, with the deadline for nominations set for April 4. In Amravati, the BJP, under the leadership of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, supports Navneet Rana but former Union minister Anandrao Adsul, who is also a senior leader of the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena, opposes Rana's candidacy. When Adsul lost the seat in 2019, he approached the higher court, challenging the caste credential of Rana and the Bombay high court cancelled the caste certificate issued to Navneet Rana, saying it was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents, and directed her to surrender it within six weeks. Additionally, we have urged Shinde to retain Rana in Amravati and not insist on Adsul,” stated a senior BJP leader overseeing party affairs in the region.