Maharashtra BJP jolted ahead of Palghar election
Palghar (Maharashtra), May 4: In a jolt to the BJP, family members of the late Lok Sabha member Chintaman Vanga from Palghar walked over to ally Shiv Sena, accusing the former of meting out "injustice".
Jaishree, the widow of Vanga, the BJP MP who died on January 30 in New Delhi after a heart attack, along with her children Srinivas and Prafulla called on Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray late on Thursday and announced their decision to quit the BJP.
"Since the past over 35 years, Chintaman Vanga has built up the party in this region, but the BJP leaders have done injustice to us and totally ignored us. We sought time from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state President Raosaheb Patil-Danve but we got no response," said Jaishree Vanga.
Accordingly, the family said it had decided to quit the Bharatiya Janata Party and join the Shiv Sena.
Welcoming them to the party fold, Thackeray said the Vanga family had thrown its lot with the Shiv Sena to further the cause of 'Hindutva' ideology and to avoid a split in Hindutva votes.
"We hold the Vanga family in high regards. They have not demanded party ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha bypolls (May 28). We shall discuss the matters jointly with the Shiv Sena workers in Palghar and take a final decision on the candidate," Thackeray said.
He said if it was a matter of getting an election ticket, they could have gone to any party, but they preferred the Shiv Sena on ideological grounds.
Jaishree Vanga said that since the past many decades, they have enjoyed cordial relations with both the Shiv Sena founder-partriarch, the late Bal Thackeray, and his son Uddhav Thackeray.
"Our father worked hard for the party even when it had two MPs, but now after his death, we have been left in the lurch," one of the sons pointed out.
Adding that there would be no alliance with the BJP in any future election, Thackeray said after a meeting with his party leaders, he would take the final call on announcing candidates for the Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha bypolls scheduled this month-end.
The ruling BJP has not yet officially reacted to the developments in Palghar, a crucial constituency with a large number of tribals and backward classes voters, around 100 km north of Mumbai.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
TN youth from UAE has tested negative for Mpox: Health Minister Subramanian
Chennai, Nov 2: A 27-year-old native of Thiruvarur district, who had arrived from Sharjah, has tested negative for monkey pox, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said here on Saturday.
Test results from both the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research here and the Pune-based National Institute of Virology have show negative for Mpox virus, the minister said.
Subramanian had earlier in the day told reporters that result was awaited for the sample that had been dispatched to the NIV while test result from King Institute ruled out monkey pox.
On October 31, upon his arrival at Tiruchirappalli airport from the UAE, during screening, the young man displayed fever symptoms and small skin lesions. Hence, he was taken to a government hospital.
Subramanian said the returnee had been frightened and hence left for his hometown of Valangaiman in Thiruvarur district. "This treatment is for his good and in order to prevent the spread of infection," the minister said.
Hence, he was brought back to the hospital by the authorities with police help and he has been receiving good treatment at the state-run facility. Further, Subramanian said that the test result from the government-run King Institute indicated Chickenpox and marked negative for presence of Mpox.
Screening at airports for passengers arriving from foreign countries is going on continuously in the state and international airports have dedicated isolated rooms.
Special wards are ready in government medical college hospitals, including those in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, to provide treatment for Mpox, in case anyone tests positive for the infection, the minister added.
