Mid-day Exclusive: ‘Stepped away from Lok Sabha polls–why should Assembly election matter: Gopal Shetty

Shetty, a fierce BJP loyalist, sent shockwaves after he filed his nomination as an independent candidate. The veteran BJP politician opens up in an exclusive interview

Q: Why did you withdraw from the race after filing as an independent candidate? 
A: I am not only a two-time MP, a three-time corporator, and a two-time MLA but even before that, I have worked for many years for the party. Overall, my political career has been fortified, and I have been associated with people socially for about 55 years. I have been associated with people since the age of 15. The slum where I lived had no water facility, no toilet, no electricity. While struggling to get these facilities, I reached the doors of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Ram Naik was an MLA in those days. I started with a small unit and 20 people used to work for me.  I was doing good work, but Ram Ji said that he didn't want to contest the election but I must contest, so I did. I won the first time, then the second and third time. In 2004, I was asked to contest by replacing the then BJP MLA. I went to that MLA and told him to take care of his ticket because it would be given to me. I will even quote the name - it was Hemendra Mehta, but that didn’t stop things. The party told me to contest, so I contested against Hemendra Bhai, a three-time MLA who revolted. I won that election in Mumbai with the highest lead of 52,000 votes. In those days, Borivli, Dahisar, and Magathane had one assembly, but in 2009, one assembly was divided into three, and I contested from Borivli. I won for the fifth time with a high margin and a lead of 39,000 votes, and I continued working.

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