Parbhani (Maharashtra), Apr 3 (IANS): The Parbhani Lok Sabha candidate of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, has described his party chief and ex-Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray as a ‘pahelwan’ (wrestler) who could never be bullied by the BJP.

Interacting with the media ahead of launching his campaign for the April 26 Lok Sabha elections, Jadhav took potshots at the Mahayuti’s Shiv Sena CM, Eknath Shinde’s discomfiture with the BJP calling the shots in the government, and also in the 2024 poll season.

Referring to the problems confronting CM Shinde, Jadhav said that “Uddhav Thackeray was a tough ‘pahelwan’ who never allowed the BJP to push him around.”

The two-time MLA plus two-time MP from the (undivided) party, Jadhav, 57, has now thrown his lot with Thackeray and is hoping for a ‘hat-trick’ from Parbhani seat, as a Maha Vikas Aghadi joint candidate.

Taking more swipes, Jadhav said that in the Shiv Sena’s stronghold of Parbhani, CM Shinde could not give a single candidate and the seat has gone to the quota of the ruling ally NCP, which has allotted a ticket to the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) President, Mahadev J Jankar.

“Shinde has suffered a similar loss of face in other constituencies like Ramtek (SC), Yavatmal-Washim and Hingoli. His situation is like ‘begaani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana’. The Shiv Sena (UBT) will win not only Parbhani, but shall bag more seats than the Mahayuti all over Maharashtra,” said Jadhav.

Pointing at the huge crowds that gathered for his nomination filing, Jadhav said this was proof of love of the people for the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s ‘Flaming Torch.’

Obviously rattled by this, two Deputy Chief Ministers had to accompany the RSP’s Jankar when he filed his papers, said Jadhav.

Besides MVA-INDIA bloc’s Jadhav, the others in the fray for Parbhani include Mahayuti-RSP's Jankar, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s nominee Babasaheb B. Ugale, and the CPI's Rajan Kshirsagar.