Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Rashtriya Samaj Paksha founder Mahadev Jankar exits Maha Yuti alliance

Mumbai: In a surprising development in the run up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls, Dhangar leader and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) founder-President Mahadev Jankar on Wednesday left the BJP-led Maha Yuti and announced that he would contest the elections alone.

However, he would not be joining the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The development has come as a surprise in Maharashtra political circles.

Jankar also skipped the Maha Yuti meeting when the report card of the ruling alliance was released in Mumbai.

There were no immediate reactions from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

“Every political party has the right to expand…we will contest all the seats,” said Jankar.

However, he clarified that he has no issues with the trio of Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar - who lead the ruling Maha Yuti (NDA) coalition.

It is learnt that Jankar was peeved for not being nominated to the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

It may be recalled, before the Lok Sabha elections, Jankar was in negotiations with NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and was keen for two seats - Madha in Western Maharashtra and Parbhani in Marathwada.

However, even while Jankar was in talks with Sharad Pawar, Fadnavis reached out to the Dhangar leader.

He was offered the Parbhani seat from the quota of Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which he accepted. However, he lost the polls to sitting MP Sanjay Jadhav, who is from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)

Jankar started his political career by joining BSP under the leadership of Kanshi Ram. Then he became the chief of Yashwant Sena, a cultural organisation. In 2003, he founded the political party RSP.

In 2009, he contested the Madha seat and was in third position Pawar and BJP’s Subhash Deshmukh. In 2014, he contested the Baramati seat against Supriya Sule and lost.

When the Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena dispensation came to power, he was made the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Department.