Former Maharashtra Minister Resigns from Shiv Sena, Alleges BJP Pressure

Former Maharashtra minister Suresh Navale has resigned from the Shiv Sena, which is led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Navale claims that the Chief Minister has given in to Former Maharashtra Minister Resigns from Shiv Sena, pressure from the BJP.

Navale also stated that he will not join any other political party and announced his support for NCP (SP) Beed Lok Sabha seat nominee Bajrang Sonawane.

Navale spoke to a news channel on Monday and revealed that he had resigned from the Shiv Sena on April 25th. He alleged that the Chief Minister gave in to the pressure from the BJP, which was not expected.

Shiv Sena had contested 22 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in 2019 and won 18 of them. However, this year, Shiv Sena is contesting only 21 seats, and the sitting MPs are being denied tickets.

Navale claims that the situation will be worse in the state assembly polls later this year. Sitting Shiv Sena MPs like Bhavana Gawli (Yavatmal Washim) and Hemant Patil (Hingoli) have been denied renomination. The decision on the candidate for the Nashik Lok Sabha seat is still pending.

Navale said that there is no place for dialogue in the party, and the party cadres are keeping quiet. He further added that the party cadres are the beneficiaries and have nothing to do with what is going on.

After a meeting with his supporters in Beed on Monday, Navale said that he would support NCP (SP) candidate Sonawane. He stated that the BJP had cheated the Shiv Sena, and his supporters had told him to support Bajrang Sonawane, so he declared his support accordingly.