BJP expels former Navi Mumbai president Sandeep Naik for anti-party activities
The action follows Naik's rebellion after being denied a ticket from the Belapur constituency, where incumbent BJP MLA Manda Mhatre has been renominated
Navi Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has permanently expelled its former Navi Mumbai president Sandeep Naik and suspended 25 former corporators and office bearers for six years, citing 'anti-party activities'.
The action against Naik follows his rebellion after being denied a ticket from the Belapur constituency, where incumbent BJP MLA Manda Mhatre has been renominated. Naik has since joined the NCP (SP) and is now running as the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate from Belapur, challenging Mhatre. State party president Jayant Patil welcomed Naik and his supporters back to the party they had left in 2019.
In an intriguing development, Naik's father, former minister and Airoli BJP MLA Ganesh Naik, remains with the BJP and has secured renomination from Airoli.
Several BJP corporators and office bearers, particularly from Belapur who had joined the BJP when the Naiks departed from the then-united NCP, have pledged their support to Sandeep and are actively campaigning for him.
"BJP is a party of discipline and decisions of the party have to be abided. I too wanted to contest but when the party takes a decision you accept it", said BJP Navi Mumbai president Ramchandra Gharat, who had previously vied for the ticket and was reinstated to his position following Sandeep's departure.
Addressing the disciplinary action, Gharat added, "Following the rebellion in the party, a strong decision had to be taken by the party to send a clear message that such indiscipline will not be tolerated".
"The party leaders are very upset that someone who had been given the reins of the party in the city, should go against it and work for the defeat of the official candidate", Gharat explained regarding the permanent expulsion.
On the matter of suspensions, he noted, "The former corporators were officially still BJP members as they had not resigned and were campaigning for Sandeep. Our party core committee learnt of reports that the rebels were planning to return to the party once the elections are over. This was adding to the confusion amongst the cadre and the people. We wanted to put an end to all such talk and hence the suspension for six years".