Mumbai: BJP leader Ganesh Naik’s son and former legislator from Airoli assembly constituency Sandeep Naik on Tuesday joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
Naik, who was Navi Mumbai District President since July 2023, has deserted BJP as the party did not consider his plea to field him from the Belapur Assembly seat where the sitting legislator Manda Mhatre was renominated during the party’s first list of 99 candidates.
Naik, who had quit the united NCP and was elected on a BJP ticket in 2014 elections, will now fight on NCP SP’s ticket from Belapur against BJP legislator Manda Mhatre who is expecting to score a hat trick.
Naik officially joined NCP SP today in the presence of state unit chief Jayant Patil announcing that ‘ladhnar aani jinknar’ (fight and win) from the Belapur constituency.
“I have left the BJP as the promise given for the development of Navi Mumbai has not been kept by the latter,” he added.
He added that the BJP had decided to develop Navi Mumbai, adding that it was unanimously decided in 2019 that the interest of the city is to be served, long pending matters are not decided unless the party is in power.
“But the word given to us was not kept. After the elections were announced, there was a twist in the promise. So to some extent, I was in a dilemma. I was denied a ticket. Even if I am in trouble, my city should not be in trouble. My workers should not be in trouble. Therefore, in the larger interest of Navi Mumbai and its citizens I have joined the NCP SP,” said Naik.
Naik recalled that before the establishment of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the villagers’ lands were acquired. Veteran leader DB Patil fought for the villagers and thereafter Sharad Pawar decided to give twelve and a half per cent of the land to the Agri Koli community.
“After Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation came into existence, Sharad Pawar always supported the city in every matter for its development,” he noted.
It is a contest to be watched as Manda Mhatre, who quit the united NCP and fought as the BJP nominee in 2014 from the Belapur constituency for the first time, defeated the former minister and united NCP candidate Ganesh Naik by a thin margin of 1,491 votes. However, Mhatre was re-elected again in the 2019 assembly elections with a higher margin.
Mhatre however, now faces a challenge from Sandeep Naik who had launched preparations, especially through house-to-house contact in the last six months. Interestingly, Shiv Sena leader Vijay Nahata had evinced interest in contesting from either Airoli or Belapur on the NCP SP ticket. However, the Sharad Pawar faction has preferred Sandeep Naik and not Nahata considering the winnability factor.
It is quite interesting that while Ganesh Naik has been renominated by the BJP from the Airoli constituency, his son Sandeep Naik will contest on an NCP SP ticket from the adjoining Belapur constituency.
–IANS