Maharashtra assembly elections 2019: Here's why BJP kept its 5 bigwigs out of poll fray

Mumbai, Oct 06: With just a day to go for the deadline to file nominations, the BJP has dropped 5 bigwigs after releasing the complete list of candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2019.

In the recent list of candidates, the BJP has dropped five senior party leaders. Higher education minister Vinod Tawde, power minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, former ministers Eknath Khadse, Prakash Mehta (both six-term legislators) and party whip in the Assembly Raj Purohit did not figure even on the final list of 164 candidates released by the BJP on Friday.

According to report, Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Balasaheb Sanap were denied a ticket by the party because they failed to make the passing score in Bharatiya Janata Party's internal survey.

Those who have scored 75 and above were considered for nomination and those who did not fair well missed the boat.'' Further, it was also noted whether the ministers, legislators and MPs had strictly followed the party's zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.

The decision to drop these frontline leaders is being attributed to the BJP's central leadership and is seen as a signal that performance as well as behaviour of state leaders will be reviewed.

Both Khadse and Mehta had faced allegations of corruption; while the former was made to resign as minister in 2016, the latter was dropped from the cabinet in the 2019 reshuffle. In the case of Tawde, the party bosses reportedly were not happy over his performance as the minister for school education.