Maharashtra BJP MLA Anil Gote announces resignation from Assembly, party

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Anil Gote has announced his resignation as member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly as well as from the BJP, alleging that “criminals” were being inducted into the party. Gote, who represents the Dhule Assembly seat in Maharashtra, said on Monday that he will tender his resignation on November 19.

Gote has been opposing induction of some leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into the BJP. “I am going to tender my resignation to the Assembly Speaker on November 19, first day of the state legislature’s winter session, and also quit the party,” he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

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“Despite my opposition, senior party leaders have been inducting people with criminal background into the BJP ahead of Dhule Municipal Corporation election,” Gote said.

If these people get elected, they will “ruin” Dhule city with their corrupt practices, he claimed. He also said that he will contest the mayoral election in the Dhule civic body next month.

Speaking to DNA, Gote said that the all criminals from other parties have joined the BJP. “With the rampant induction of criminals in the party, no other party except BJP has criminals. BJP has given them shelter. There’s no point working with a party that promotes criminalisation of politics,” said Gote.

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Gote had won the 2009 Assembly election as an Independent and joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 state polls. He was arrested earlier in connection with the counterfeit stamp paper scam involving kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi, and is now out on bail. Last month, BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh, a staunch proponent of separate Vidarbha state, had resigned as member of the Assembly and from the party’s primary membership. He was an MLA from Katol constituency in Nagpur district.