Amid Eknath Shinde's rebellion, Independent MLA Geeta Jain set to revive her ties with BJP

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in the state, independent legislator from the Mira-Bhayandar assembly segment (145) Geeta Jain, has decided to revive her ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Jain apparently took the decision after meeting BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at Sagar Bungalow on Wednesday.

“Yes, I responded positively to the call by BJP office bearers and met Devendra ji today. I have decided to extend my support to the BJP,” confirmed Jain.

Former BJP mayor Jain contested the 2019 polls as an independent after being denied a ticket by the state leadership. A staunch Narendra Modi supporter, Jain dealt a big blow by defeating the BJP’s sitting legislator and official candidate Narendra Mehta by a margin of 15,526 votes.

Initially, she declared her support to the BJP, but later on switched her loyalties to the ruling Shiv Sena. According to her supporters, even after extending unconditional support to the BJP, she was ignored as the party continued to favour Mehta.

Interestingly, Eknath Shinde who is the guardian minister of Thane has played a crucial role in bringing Jain into the Sena fold. Geeta Jain bagged a vote share of 37.6% and became the first woman legislator to represent this segment which was formed by delimiting the then Belapur assembly constituency in 2009.

Dominated by a sizable presence of the Gujarati, Jains and North Indian community, the Mira-Bhayandar assembly segment is considered as a safe bastion for the BJP. Notably, despite being elected as an independent legislator, Jain continues to be a BJP corporator in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC).

Wait & watch for Shiv Sainiks as Pratap Sarnaik backs Eknath Shinde

Just days after his statement that he intended to get MBMC’s first auditorium in Kashimira inaugurated at the hands of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on his birthday – July 27, Shiv Sena legislator from the Owala-Majiwada assembly segment (146) surprised everybody by jumping into Shinde’s rebel bandwagon.

A three times MLA, Sarnaik has played an important role in enhancing the numerical strength of corporators in the MBMC. Although Shinde’s rebellion has put the government and the Shiv Sena on shaky grounds, local Shiv Sainiks are still confident that everything will be sorted out soon. “ All will be well soon, let's wait and watch,” said a Sena office-bearer as her colleagues echoed similar views.

Published on: Wednesday, June 22, 2022, 07:04 PM IST