Gavit quits to contest as Independent from Akkalkuwa

Nandurbar: Ahead of the Assembly elections slated for November 20, the BJP on Tuesday received a major jolt after its two-term MP Heena Gavit quit the party, especially after she decided to contest from the Akkalkuwa constituency as an Independent, defying the party’s diktat.

In her resignation letter, Gavit, who is the daughter of BJP minister and nominee Dr Vijaykumar Gavit, said, “I am resigning so that the party does not face any problem because of my decision to contest as an Independent.”

She is pitted against the Shiv Sena legislator and nominee Aamshya Padvi and Congress nominee and former minister KC Padvi.

Gavit’s decision has made the contest for both Shiv Sena and Congress nominees tougher.

The state BJP leaders including Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and others including her father made efforts for her withdrawal and to toe the party line, but it did not yield positive results.

“I was insisting that the BJP should get Akkalkuwa constituency in its quota. When I was MP, many development works were carried out in Akkalkuwa constituency. I will be benefited due to these development works as the voters will recognise my work and vote for me to win the election,” said Heena Gavit.

She also justified her decision to contest as an Independent saying, “I decided to run as an Independent as the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has been constantly working against BJP in Nandurbar district.”

Heena Gavit’s decision is a big blow when the BJP has made sufficient inroads in the tribal dominated Nandurbar district and also in North Maharashtra from 2014.

Despite the BJP riding on a Modi wave, Heena Gavit lost to the Congress candidate in the Lok Sabha elections and missed scoring a hat trick from Nandurbar constituency.

Undeterred by her defeat, Gavit had stepped up her outreach with voters from Akkalkuwa.