Shrinivas Vanga, a Shiv Sena MLA from Maharashtra’s Palghar district, has gone missing after being denied a ticket to recontest his seat in the upcoming Assembly elections. Vanga, who was the only MLA denied a ticket by the Shiv Sena party led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He has reportedly been struggling with severe disappointment and emotional distress since the decision. His family shared that he has appeared deeply upset over the past two days and has shown signs of depression.
Vanga, the son of late BJP MP Chintaman Vanga, won his seat in the 2019 elections as a candidate of the undivided Shiv Sena from the Palghar constituency (Scheduled Tribes). When the Shiv Sena split in 2022, Vanga sided with Shinde, who had rebelled against the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray and eventually became Chief Minister.
Vanga expected to being nominated again for the Palghar seat by Shinde’s party but the ticket was instead given to the former MP Rajendra Gavit, who had also aligned with Shinde in the split from Thackeray’s Shiv Sena.
On Monday, Vanga expressed his frustration to reporters, accusing Shinde of betraying his loyalty. “I have committed a grave mistake by siding with CM Eknath Shinde and joining his party,” he said. Vanga shared that he had hopes to be renominated, but party leaders informed him that internal surveys indicated he might not win re-election.
Shinde reportedly attempted to pacify Vanga with the Dahanu seat through BJP, an ally but that seat was ultimately assigned to Vinod Medha. This added to Vanga’s distress and he openly regretted abandoning Uddhav Thackeray, describing him as “like a god figure.”
On the same day, Vanga became emotional while speaking to reporters at his home. He started apologizing publicly to Thackeray for leaving his side. According to his wife, Vanga stopped eating, cried often and eventually left home on Monday evening without informing anyone. His mobile phones have been unreachable since then.
Local leaders from the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) visited Vanga’s home Monday night to offer support but they were unable to meet him. Meanwhile, some Shinde-led Sena leaders have been attempting to pacify Vanga, offering the potential of a Legislative Council position to keep him within the party.
Vanga’s family is understandably worried and his sudden absence highlights the emotional toll of political decisions on individual leaders. This incident serves as a reminder of the intense personal stakes in political life, particularly for leaders who are loyal to their parties.
