The Shiv Sena's move of
nominating Priyanka Chaturvedi for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election in Maharashtra has apparently left party veteran and former Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire sulking.
After Chaturvedi's candidature was announced, Khaire took aim at the party leadership saying that the Shiv Sena of Aaditya Thackeray perhaps does not need
old guards like him.
He also needled the Sena leadership saying that as Chaturvedi speaks good English and Hindi, she will be able to project the issues in Parliament in a better way.
Talking to reporters here, Khaire said, "The Shiv Sena of Aditya Thackerey may not need old colleagues now."
"Chaturvedi has command over English and Hindi languages. She will speak good English and Hindi in the House. She will be able to project the issues more effectively there," he added.
The Sena leader said that he had worked as a Member of Parliament for two decades.
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"My candidature for the Rajya Sabha was the demand of the Marathwada region and the party would have got more power in this region had I got the candidature," said Khaire, a four-time MP, who had lost to AIMIM's Imtiaz Jaleel from Aurangabad in the last year's Lok Sabha elections.
"I had a word with the party high command and leaders of Shiv Sena also told the party leadership that the Rajya Sabha candidature should be given to me. But Aaditya Thackeray insisted on Chaturvedi's nomination," he said.
"I have been a Shiv sainik since the beginning and have worked with party founder Bal Thackeray and president Uddhav Thackeray. I will continue to work for the party till my last breath," Khaire added.
Chaturvedi had quit the Congress and joined the Shiv Sena in April 2019. She took the decision as she was upset with the Congress's decision to reinstate some party workers, who had allegedly misbehaved with her in Mathura.
Uddhav Thackeray had then said that the Sena workers have got a "good sister" in Chaturvedi.
Election for the seven Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra will take place on March 26.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
