NEW DELHI: Maharashtra deputy chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis
on Friday said Union minister
Nitin Gadkari
's name would be the first in the list of BJP candidates once the ruling alliance in the state finalises its seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha elections.
The statement comes a day after
Shiv Sena
(UBT) chief
Uddhav Thackeray
took a dig at the BJP after it released its first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. Uddhav said that it was very surprising that "veteran leader and party loyalist" Nitin Gadkari’s name was not on the BJP’s list.
Speaking at a rally on Thursday, Thackeray had said Gadkari should show "Maharashtra's mettle" and resign instead of "bowing before Delhi". "We will ensure his election as an MVA candidate," Thackeray said.
Fadnavis takes potshot at Uddhav
Hitting back at Uddhav, Fadnavis said: "Gadkari is our prominent leader. He contests from Nagpur. When the first list of candidates (of BJP) was released, there had been no discussions among Mahayuti partners (BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP) ... When the discussions take place, Gadkari's name will come up first (in the candidates' list)."
"The chief of such a party [Shiv Sena-UBT] giving offer to a national-level leader like Gadkari is akin to a small-time person offering someone the post of US president," he added.
Respect Gadkari, says Sule
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule said Gadkari is a national leader who represents the "original BJP, which was a cultured party".
"I cannot understand what happened to the party now. We learned how to speak in Parliament from Sushmaji (Swaraj) and Arunji (Jaitely)," she said.
On whether her party would welcome Gadkari to MVA, Sule said, "He is someone who does not consider opposition leaders as his enemy. He believes in democracy, and that is why there will always be respect for him."
(With inputs from agencies)
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