Former MP Gopal Shetty plans to contest the elections as an independent candidate after the BJP denied him a ticket. He strongly opposes the party’s decision to nominate Sanjay Upadhyay for the Borivali seat.
Shetty alleges that the party prioritizes outsiders over dedicated party workers and has announced his intention to file independent nominations. His declaration challenges the decisions of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister in charge of Maharashtra Elections Bhupendra Yadav, Co-in-charge Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The heavyweight leaders responsible for the elections chose Sanjay Upadhyay over Gopal Shetty. The party also denied him a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections, opting instead to nominate Piyush Goyal from Mumbai North, where Goyal previously served as a two-time MP.
In addition to serving as an MP, Gopal Shetty has held the position of MLA twice from Borivali and has been a corporator three times in the Brihanmumbai Metropolitan Corporation. However, due to the party’s refusal to grant him a ticket, he has decided to run independently in the assembly elections.