Former Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul has issued a stern warning to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), threatening to file a curative petition in the Supreme Court against former MP Navneet Rana regarding her caste certificate. Adsul’s ultimatum comes after what he describes as unfulfilled promises from the BJP leadership.
Adsul revealed that in May, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had offered him a Governor’s position as a trade-off for withdrawing his claim on the Amravati seat, a constituency Adsul had represented twice. Despite stepping back in favor of Navneet Rana, who the BJP fielded from Amravati in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Adsul claims the promise was not honored.
In a significant development earlier this year, the Supreme Court overturned the 2021 Bombay High Court verdict that had canceled Navneet Rana’s Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate, thus enabling her to contest the elections.
Adsul, having relinquished his claim on the Amravati seat, stated that the BJP had promised the Shiv Sena two Union Cabinet positions and two governorships, commitments that have not been realized. He alleged that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had endorsed a letter recommending his appointment as Governor, which was forwarded to the BJP’s top leadership but was ignored.
“Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured me that I would be appointed as the governor. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also gave his assurance. But no promise was fulfilled. I can’t wait forever. I will wait for another fifteen days, but after that, I will go to the Supreme Court and file a curative petition regarding Navneet Rana’s caste certificate,” Adsul declared.
Adsul emphasized the elapsed time since the initial promise, noting, “Twenty-five months have passed since Fadnavis made this promise, and two-and-a-half months since Amit Shah’s promise… Now, I will not wait any longer.”
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Adsul was defeated by Navneet Rana, an NCP-backed independent candidate who has since aligned with the BJP.