November 13th 2023.
Mumbai is currently in the midst of a major political controversy, with two of the major leaders of the Shiv Sena party, Ramdas Kadam and Gajanan Kirtikar, being involved in a war of words. This has caused major embarrassment to the ruling faction of the Shiv Sena under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Kirtikar is a sitting MP from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, while his son is with the rival faction of Shiv Sena. Kadam, a former minister in the state cabinet, is pitching for a candidature for his son Siddhesh from the same constituency. The feud started last month after Kirtikar, who turned 80, said at a program that he was tired and would not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
This statement sparked a reaction from Kadam, who said that if Kirtikar isn’t contesting, his son Siddhesh Kadam is willing to contest in the elections from that same constituency. Kirtikar immediately responded, claiming that he is both mentally and physically fit and is prepared to contest the upcoming elections.
Kadam then questioned Kritikar’s loyalty, as the latter’s son Amol is with the Shiv Sena and is likely to contest the seat as a Shiv Sena candidate. In response, Kirtikar sent a letter to CM Shinde, in which he said that Kadam had expressed suspicion that he was betraying the party. Kirtikar then went on to list out Kadam’s history of betrayal, saying that he had made attempts to defeat him in the 1990 polls, and that he had rallied workers for the defeat of his brother.
In response, Kadam took to a local news channel and said that Kirtikar was a senior leader and should not have taken such steps. He also boasted that he had won against the fugitive gangster Dawood and that he doesn’t want to get into such petty politics. He also added that the question of fielding his son from the constituency does not arise.
With the current spat between Kadam and Kirtikar, the soft underbelly of Shinde’s own party Shiv Sena has been exposed. This incident has caused major embarrassment and may cause political trouble for the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar has written to CM Shinde seeking an increase in security after receiving threat messages.
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