Arguably among the top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nitin Gadkari's name was not included in the saffron party's first list of Lok Sabha candidates. While the first list included names like PM Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, etc among 195 candidates, BJP's veteran leader Nitin Gadkari's name was nowhere to be found. As a result, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray slammed the BJP for excluding the name of Nitin Gadkari from the list and went on to say that the doors of MVA are always open for the current Union Minister. After the opposition's criticism, it is speculated that all is not well between Nitin Gadkari and the BJP.
As per reports, Nitin Gadkari, the two-time Nagpur MP and Union Minister for transport met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a brief stopover at Nagpur airport on Monday. Gadkari, along with state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, welcomed PM Modi and reportedly engaged in a conversation with the Prime Minister. Although there has been no official comment from the BJP on the interaction between Modi and Gadkari, a report suggests that Gadkari discussed his absence from the first list and potentially expressed his desire to be included in the second list of candidates.
It is pertinent to mention here that the opposition suggests Gadkari might face challenges in obtaining a party ticket due to strained relations with PM Modi, stated a report. Notably, Nitin Gadkari is said to be one of the most followed and loved leaders after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gadkari's on-ground work and his speeches often strike the right chord of the youth's hearts. Nitin Gadkari is among those rare BJP leaders who is respected by the INDIA block as well. This is the reason why former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray gave an open invitation to him to join the MVA.
Thackeray during a meeting was quoted saying, "We knew BJP because of Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde. We had family ties with them and Mahajan was called the architect of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Gadkari came later. We didn’t know names like Modi and Shah. He (Gadkari) did a lot of good work by building the Mumbai Pune Expressway and 55 flyovers in Mumbai. He is a staunch BJP man, but his name is not included in the first list of candidates.”
It is pertinent to mention here that BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule expressed confidence in winning the Nagpur LS seat with over 60 percent of the votes and reiterated Gadkari’s pivotal role in the nation’s development over the years. Bawankule emphasised that Gadkari, who has stood by PM Modi in the nation’s development for the last 10 years, has dedicated his life to strengthening India. Therefore, the question of denying him a party nomination doesn’t arise.