Maharashtra Elections 2024: Shiv Sena MLA Goes Missing Following Ticket Snub

Palghar MLA Shrinivas Vanga, the sole Shiv Sena lawmaker who was denied a ticket for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has been unaccounted for since Monday evening.

Vanga, the son of late BJP MP Chintaman Vanga, has reportedly been unreachable for several hours, with his phone switched off. His family revealed that the MLA has been distressed for the past two days following the party's decision to deny him an Assembly election ticket in favor of former MP Rajendra Gavit, who had also supported Shinde during the rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022.

Having won the Palghar seat in 2019 as a Shiv Sena candidate before the party's split, Vanga later aligned himself with Shinde's faction during the revolt against Thackeray, anticipating re-nomination.

Earlier on Monday, the Shiv Sena legislator expressed regret for leaving the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and joining Shinde's faction. "I made a grave mistake by joining the Shinde-led faction," PTI quoted Vanga as saying after his denial of re-nomination. He also referred to Shinde's rival and UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray as a "dev manus" (God-like man).

Concerned family members stated that Vanga has stopped communicating with them and is refusing to eat. They reported that he has been crying and threatening to harm himself.

In response to these developments, Shiv Sena-UBT Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi remarked, "MLA Shrinivas Vanga, one of the 40 traitors who sided with Eknath Shinde, is now regretting his decision, acknowledging that Sh. Uddhavji is like a god in comparison. This realization comes after he has been used and discarded by Shinde."

Meanwhile, leaders of the Shinde-led faction are attempting to soothe Vanga by promising him a position in the Legislative Council.

Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are scheduled for November 20, with votes to be counted on November 23.