Ahead of the Maharashtra elections, the Mahayuti alliance—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—remains in disarray. Senior BJP leader Gopal Setty is contesting independently after failing to secure a ticket, while an MLA from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, Srinivas Vanga, has gone missing.
Srinivas Vanga, who sought a ticket to contest from the Palghar assembly constituency, has been untraceable for the past 15 hours. He switched off his phone two days ago. His family reported his disappearance to the police, who have since launched a search.
In the assembly elections, Vanga hoped to contest for the Palghar seat, but Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena instead nominated former MP Rajendra Gavit after discussions with the BJP. Gavit, who recently rejoined the BJP after briefly leaving it, received the ticket for the Palghar seat, which has reportedly caused frustration for Vanga.
Expressing his disappointment, Vanga questioned why Uddhav Thackeray had left Shiv Sena and accused the party of neglecting its loyal leaders. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Voters in all 288 constituencies across Maharashtra will head to the polls on October 20, and officials will announce the results on October 23 after counting the votes.