Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday urged BJP workers to join him to defeat Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s candidate Abdul Sattar. Addressing an election rally in Sillod assembly constituency, where Mr. Sattar is contesting, Mr.Thackeray said it was an opportunity for his party and BJP to remove “blot” (Mr. Sattar) from Sillod. Mr. Sattar, who is a minister in the Eknath Shinde cabinet, is a three-term MLA from Sillod.
“Mr. Sattar and his kin have grabbed land in Soygaon and Sillod. He has also tried to usurp government plots. The poll office here is on land he possesses illegally. We will probe all this if we come to power,” Mr. Thackeray said
Sillod Assembly constituency is part of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, which was earlier known as Aurangabad. Mr. Sattar had won from Sillod in 2009 and 2014 on a Congress ticket. However, he joined the Shiv Sena before the 2019 election. Interestingly, he was a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi cabinet led by Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister. He was among the 40 Shiv Sena MLAs, who joined Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against Mr. Thackeray in 2022.
Mr. Thackeray urged his party workers to “come together” with BJP cadres to defeat Mr. Sattar. Further making an appeal to BJP workers, he said, “We have our differences. If anyone is ready to talk to me from your side, then I am also ready for it.. But all of us must come together to remove this blot (from Sillod). This is our opportunity.”
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally held at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday, Mr. Thackeray alleged that Muslim women wearing black clothes were not allowed to attend the PM’s rally.
Responding to Mr. Thackeray’s speech, Mr. Sattar said, “He is agitated as his government was toppled. He fears that his candidate will lose his deposit in Sillod, which is why he has started licking the feet of the BJP. Imagine how scared he is. He is campaigning against the BJP everywhere in Maharashtra, but pleading for BJP’s help here. He needs to be admitted to a mental hospital.”
Calling it an indication of MVA leaders’ realisation about their imminent defeat, BJP minister Girish Mahajan said, “Why do they need to make such a statement. It is clear that the Maha Vikas Aghadi knows they would be defeated in the elections.”