Committed grave mistake of siding with CM Shinde: Sena's Palghar MLA after being denied ticket
Palghar, Oct 29: Upset over being denied ticket by his party, sitting Shiv Sena MLA from Maharashtra's Palghar, Shrinivas Vanga, has said he committed a "grave mistake" of siding with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and joining his party.
Srinivas, the son of late BJP MP Chintaman Vanga, became an MLA after winning the 2019 assembly elections as a candidate of undivided Shiv Sena from the Palghar (Scheduled Tribes) seat. After a split in the Shiv Sena, Vanga supported Shinde. He was hoping to get renominated from the seat by the party.
However, the party gave candidature to former MP Rajendra Gavit, who had also sided with Shinde when he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022.
In its list of 20 nominees announced on Sunday, the Shiv Sena fielded Gavit from the Palghar assembly constituency.
After learning that he has been denied re-nomination by the party, a visibly upset Vanga told reporters on Monday, "I made a grave mistake by joining the Shinde-led faction."
He also described Shinde's rival and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray as a "dev manus" (Godlike man).
Talking to news channels, his family members expressed concern over his present state of mind, and said he has not only stopped interacting with them and having food, but is also crying and threatening to harm his own life.
After learning about the situation, CM Shinde reportedly contacted Vanga's wife, assuring that her husband would be considered for a role as a member of the Maharashtra legislative council.
Videos of Vanga's emotional responses have since gone viral on social media and news channels.
Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
Shrinivas Vanga Cried : उद्धव ठाकरे देव माणूस! मी चुकलो! शिंदेंनी तिकीट कापताच वनगा रडले#ShrinivasVanga #Palghar #Maharashtra #Vidhansabha@Shivsenaofc@mieknathshinde@ShivSenaUBT_ pic.twitter.com/UZspaoKuEF
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
