Gajanan Kirtikar says he will not leave Shinde's Shiv Sena, calls return-to-Thackeray reports baseless

Gajanan Kirtikar, a senior leader of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and a former MP, has himself addressed talk that he is leaving the party. He said clearly that he is not quitting.

For some time there had been strong talk that Kirtikar was upset and would soon say "Jai Maharashtra" to the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena. Reports also suggested that he would rejoin Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena. Kirtikar clarified all this himself and put an end to the speculation.

Kirtikar said he has no wish to leave the Shiv Sena and join another party. According to him, he was shocked to see reports of his leaving the party. He also said he is satisfied under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

According to Kirtikar, Eknath Shinde had called him to enquire about the matter, and he had told Shinde the truth at the time. Kirtikar said he trusts Eknath Shinde's leadership and will work to bring the Shiv Sena to the number one position in Maharashtra.

In the same conversation, Kirtikar also raised the issue of how party members can reach the leadership. He said that as a former MP, it is necessary to stay in touch with party workers and ordinary citizens in order to get work done for people struggling with illness and injustice.

He expects that, for urgent matters, it should be possible to reach the Chief Minister or the party chief. Kirtikar said Eknath Shinde has assured him that arrangements will be made to resolve the problems of access.

Kirtikar made one more demand: that there should be at least one meeting a month. He said he has suggested that, while working as a constituent of the NDA, the Shiv Sena party should also be given enough time.

Asked why he left Uddhav Thackeray, Kirtikar said he felt that the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray was leaning towards the Congress and that the party was losing its Marathi character. He said he left the party because of this feeling.

Gajanan Kirtikar is a senior Shiv Sena leader and the father of Amol Kirtikar, a Mumbai leader of the Thackeray faction. This is why talk of his returning to the Thackeray faction had gained political significance.

Kirtikar has now made it clear that he will not leave Shinde's Shiv Sena, and the speculation has therefore ended. His statement suggests that he wants regular dialogue with party leaders and an effective system of contact for the work of party workers.