Mumbai: Senior leader and former MP Gopal Shetty, who had filed nomination papers as an independent after the BJP denied him his nomination, on Monday announced withdrawal of his nomination from Mumbai’s Borivali assembly seat.

The BJP has nominated Sanjay Upadhyay from Borivali seat for the November 20 state assembly elections.

On Sunday, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde met Shetty to persuade him to withdraw his candidature.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Shetty said, “I am withdrawing my candidature today. My objection was to the style of functioning of the BJP, where decisions were taken without any consultation with party members like me. The party systematically presented candidates from outside for the legislative elections, and it was presumed that this was done with my consultation.” “I was never consulted during the selection of candidates for the Borivali assembly segment (in the past). I am a party member and I have always expressed my concerns about a certain style of decision-making,” he said.

Another BJP rebel, Sweekruti Sharma from Andheri East assembly, also announced withdrawal of her candidature.

Shetty’s rebellion was seen as a major blow to the BJP in its stronghold.

He won the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over four lakh in 2014 and 2019, but was denied a ticket for the 2024 general elections. The seat was won by Piyush Goyal, senior leader of the BJP, now a Union Minister.

Shetty, a veteran of the north Mumbai region, was the MP from Borivali in 2004 and 2009. He was also the corporator of the region for several years.

In 2014, Shetty won the Lok Sabha elections and the BJP fielded Vinod Tawde from Borivali assembly seat, considered one of the safest constituencies for the party.

Tawde was not reappointed in 2019 and he later became the national general secretary of the BJP. PTI AND GK

This report is automatically generated from PTI news service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.

Read also: In Maharashtra’s confusing political landscape, Owaisi’s AIMIM has kingmaker dreams