Blow for BJP as 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.

She reiterated that she was expecting that the BJP will get Akkalkuwa seat during seat sharing talks with Shiv Sena and NCP.

However, she claimed she decided to enter into the electoral fray as an Independent after Shiv Sena bagged the Akkalkuwa seat in a bid to increase the pace of growth in the tribal area.

Heena Gavit, who is a doctor by profession, was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2014 and became the youngest MP.

After the BJP renominated her considering her work in the constituency and performance in the Lok Sabha, she won again in the 2019 elections.

She had led scathing attacks during her interventions against the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi.