Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Jailed Khalid Guddu Files Independent Nomination In Bhiwandi Amid Local Tensions; BJP And Rebel Leaders Contest Across Thane Region

In Bhiwandi: Jailed Khalid Guddu, a former president of NCP and MIM, got parole for one day to file his nomination as an independent in Bhiwandi West. Khalid Guddu was brought amid full police security from Taloja Jail to Bhiwandi.

According to sources, a total of nine criminal cases including extortion were booked against Khalid, and he has been in jail for the last four years in a single case. Warish Pathan, a leader from MIM, filed his nomination in Bhiwandi West. The workers of Khalid Guddu were upset with the MIM leader's decision who gave the ticket to Warish Pathan.

The workers claimed that Warish Pathan is not a local political leader of Bhiwandi. Political sources said that the people of Bhiwandi did not understand why the top MIM leader did not give the ticket to Khalid. Khalid Guddu contested the election from Bhiwandi West in 2019 and secured 43945 votes, securing the second position, while Mahesh Chughule secured 58857 votes and won.

The four candidates from Bhiwandi West are two-term sitting BJP MLA Mahesh Chaughule, Congress candidate Dayanand Choraghe, rebel Vilash Patil who recently joined Congress with the expectation of getting the ticket but it went to Dayanand Choraghe, and Riyaz Azmi from Samajwadi Party, who filed his nomination. In Samajwadi Party nomination precession, Abu Azami was presence in Bhiwandi during nomination.

In Bhiwandi East, one-term sitting MLA Raees Shaikh from Samajwadi party filed his nomination. Former BJP leader Santosh Shetty in Bhiwandi joined hand with Eknath Shinde-led Shivsena, received ticket also filed a nomination.

In Kalyan:- A three-term sitting BJP MLA and PWD Minister, Ravindra Chavan, filed his nomination in Dombivli on Tuesday. Dipesh Mhatre, a former standing Committee chairman, who was a former leader from Eknath Shinde-led Shivsena in Kalyan Dombivli, then joined hands with UBT and filed a nomination against Ravindra Chavan.

Two rebels from BJP filed their nomination as an independent:-

Two BJP rebels, Ex-MLA Narendra Pawar and Varun Patil, a leader from BJP, left the party and filed their nomination as independents in Kalyan West. One-term sitting MLA Vishwanath Bhoir from Eknath Shinde Shivsena and Sachin Basare from UBT filed their nomination in Kalyan West.

In Ulhasnagar:- Bharat Gantotri, a leader from NCP, Ajit Pawar, upset with the party, filed his nomination as an independent in Ulhasnagar. However, Mahayuti had given a ticket to two-term sitting MLA Kumar Ailani. Bhagwan Bhalerao, a leader from RPI (AATHAWALE), was expelled and later joined hands with Raj Thackeray-led MNS and filed his nomination in Ulhasnagar.