Chandrakant Khaire, who lost to the AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel in Aurangabad, alleged that some local BJP office bearers were supporting the latter
Despite their sweep in Maharashtra, the knives seem to be out in the Shiv Sena and BJP with two Sena MPs who lost to their opponents blaming leaders from their alliance partner for their defeat.
After Chandrakant Khaire, who lost to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's (AIMIM) Imtiaz Jaleel in Aurangabad, his party colleague Anandrao Adsul, who was trounced by Congress-NCP backed independent Navneet Kaur Rana in Amravati, has claimed that BJP leaders worked to ensure his opponent's victory."(Kaur) was helped by leaders from the ruling party," said Adsul, a former minister of state and five-term MP. He admitted that Kaur, an actress, who contested as a nominee of her husband and Badnera MLA Ravi Rana's Yuva Swabhimaan party, had claimed if elected, she would support Narendra Modi as she was an independent. Rana is an independent MLA but is known for his proximity to senior BJP leaders.
"It will not be prudent on my part to reveal more now. I will talk at the right time," said Adsul, who has been a union minister of state, and has been elected thrice from Buldhana and twice from Amravati.
In 2014, Adsul, a former union minister of state, who has been a three-term MP from Buldhana, had defeated Kaur, who was the NCP nominee from the constituency reserved for scheduled castes (SC).
The BJP has more influence than the Shiv Sena in the constituency located in Vidarbha, with the party having legislators in three of six seats.
Khaire, who lost to Jaleel, who became the first Muslim MP from Maharashtra in 15 years, claimed consolidation of Dalit and Muslim votes for his adversary, and a split in Hindu votes had led to his defeat. Khaire, a four-term MP since 1999, was locked in a quadrangular fight versus Jaleel, Subhash Zhambad (Congress) and rebel Shiv Sena MLA Harshavardhan Jadhav in the district, which is polarised on communal lines.
With Jadhav and Zhambad walking away with 2.84 lakh and 92,000 votes respectively, Khaire lost to Jaleel, by a margin of less than 4,500 votes. Incidentally, all three — Jaleel, Jadhav and Zhambad, are members of the state legislature.
"Hindu votes were split because of Harshavardhan," said Khaire, charging that Jadhav had the support of his father-in-law and Jalna MP Raosaheb Danve Patil, who is the BJP's state unit chief.
"Some other local BJP office bearers were also supporting him," he alleged, adding that Jadhav, an MLA from Kannad in the district, had also polarised voters of the dominant Maratha community in his favour. Khaire charged that one issue in Jadhav's campaign was that if elected as an independent, he would support Modi.
He also alleged that the BJP was hand-in-glove with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), which was in an alliance with the AIMIM.
However, a senior BJP minister denied these charges. "It is easy to point fingers but no leader can influence voters on this scale through a clandestine campaign," he said.
ALLEGATIONS
- Chandrakant Khaire, who lost to the AIMIM’s Imtiaz Jaleel in Aurangabad, alleged that some local BJP office bearers were supporting the latter
- Anandrao Adsul, who was trounced by independent Navneet Kaur Rana in Amravati too made similar allegations
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Chandrakant Khaire (left) and Imtiaz Jaleel")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}