Faced with an unprecedented rebellion in constituencies across poll-bound Maharashtra, the ruling BJP has cracked the whip and expelled as many 40 party rebel candidates in 36 Assembly constituencies across the state.

In a formal statement issued a day after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended, the BJP named the 40 rebel candidates whom it expelled from the primary membership of the party for violating the party and indulging in anti-party activities.      

Known all along for discipline in its party ranks, the BJP is dealing with massive rebellion across the state.  The expelled rebel candidates are taking on the party’s official candidates. 

“There are more rebel candidates in the fray than the ones named in the list. There are 78 more rebel candidates in the fray. All these rebels are contesting against the official candidates put up by our allies - the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP,” a BJP leader who did not want to be identified said.

The 40 expelled BJP rebels are spread across the state. They include two rebels from Dhule --Rural (Shrikant Karle and Sophan Patil), two from Jalgaon city (Mayur Kapse and Ashwin Sonawane), two from Nanded-North (Vaishali Milind Deshmukh and Milind Uttarmrao Deshmukh), Nanded south (Dilip Venkatrao Kadkrute,  Sunil Sahebrao More and Sanjay Dhongare), Baglan-ST ( Aakash Salunke and Jayashree Garund).             

In what came as a jolt to the BJP, its national spokesperson and former Nandurbar MP Dr Heena Gavit resigned from the party’s primary membership after defying the party’s directive not contest against the Shinde Shiv Sena’s official candidate Amashya Padvi from Akkalkuwa constituency. The State BJP had threatened that it would initiate disciplinary candidate if she did not withdraw her nomination against Padvi  

Earlier this year, Dr Heena was trounced in the Lok Sabha polls by Goval Padvi, son of incumbent Akkalkuva MLA KC Padvi. Congress has re-nominated KC Padvi as its candidate from Akkalkuwa. 

Dr Heena’s father,  Vijaykumar Gavit - who is the state tribal development minister in the Eknath Shinde candidate - remains the BJP candidate from the neighbouring Nandurbar constituency.

However, much to the relief of the BJP, senior  BJP leader and former MP Gopal Shetty - who had threatened to contest as a rebel against the party’s official candidate Sanjay Upadhyay from Borilivli constituency in Mumbai - has withdrawn his nomination. He had filed his nomination as an independent last week.

Similarly,  the BJP’s former corporator Atul Shah, who had threatened to contest as a rebel against the party’s erstwhile functionary-turned  Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena candidate Shaina - has backed out of the contest.