Mumbai: Upset over the denial of ticket from Sion Koliwada constituency for the Maharashtra assembly elections, longterm Congress leader Ravi Raja left the party to join the BJP on Thursday. Raja’s exit is a huge set back for the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi with less than a month remaining for the polling. Speaking with the media, Raja alleged that the Congress discriminated while distributing tickets for the polls.
“The ticket for the elections should be given on the basis of the merit, which Congress has not done. It is from of the public how Congress has nominated candidates within families. Leaders are given tickets for Lok Sabha and State Assembly. If such injustice continues, leaders will rebel.”
#WATCH | Mumbai: On joining BJP, Ravi Raja says, “Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar has appointed me as Mumbai BJP vice-president…I will campaign for the Mahayuti candidate from Mumbai and ensure that the candidate wins…Discrimination is being done by the Congress… https://t.co/ptjRx3lwfl pic.twitter.com/qgNKcVcKit
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2024
Raja highlighted the Kandivali and Charkop seats where the Congress discriminated while giving tickets to the candidates. Ravi Raja himself was denied ticket from the Sion Koliwada seat where he has been actively working from last many years. Raja is the five term corporator, long time Congressman and has been the leader of opposition in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
Here I am submitting my resignation from @INCIndia party after serving the party for 44 years… pic.twitter.com/3e02roPJzH
— Ravi Raja (@ravirajaINC) October 31, 2024
Raja joined the BJP on Thursday in the presence of Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai BJP President and Sion Koliwada’s sitting MLA and now the candidate Capt Tamil Selvan.
Raja was appointed as the Mumbai BJP Vice President immediately after he joined the party. “I will work for the party as ‘karyakarta’ and I am hopeful BJP will utilise my expertise. Capt Tamil Selvan will be re-elected from Sion Koliwada,” Raja expressed said.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On former Congress leader Ravi Raja joining BJP, Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad says, ” We had a discussion with him around 2 days ago…he had promised that he is with us and he is a Congressman but don’t know what happened yesterday all on a sudden.… pic.twitter.com/8VL0nAp2K1
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2024
The Maharashtra Congress was backing Ravi Raja for his candidature from Sion Koliwada. However, the party high command ignored and renominated Ganesh Yadav even though he lost to Capt Tamil Selvan of the BJP by a margin of over 14,000 votes in the 2019 assembly polls.
