Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee decides to opt out of contest from Aurangabad Central

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In an embarrassment for Shiv Sena (UBT), its candidate Kishanchand Tanwani on Monday decided against contesting the election from the Aurangabad Central constituency, citing potentially unfavourable situation similar to the 2014 contest.

Notably, Imtiaz Jaleel of AIMIM had defeated Shiv Sena (undivided) candidate Pradeep Jaiswal from the Aurangabad Central segment in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city in 2014, relegating Tanwani, who contested on BJP's ticket, to the third spot.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had declared Tanwani's candidature last week.

Tanwani claimed Jaiswal was not helping him in electioneering.

"I am combing this assembly segment for the last seven days and have realised that a situation similar to the 2014 elections is shaping up. I have decided not to contest this time," he told reporters.

Tanwani claimed he withdrew from the fray in 2019 due to a similar situation and helped Jaiswal win the elections.

The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM has declared the candidature of Naser Siddiqui, who was defeated by Jaiswal from Aurangabad Central seat in 2019, for the November 20 assembly elections.

Tanwani said he has not informed Uddhav Thackeray about his decision to opt out of the electoral contest.

"I sought Jaiswal's help for my electoral prospects but he is not forthcoming. I have not spoken to Uddhav Thackeray. I will speak to him and act as per his directions. My AB (authorisation) form is with Shiv Sena leader Ambadas Danve," he added.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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