Amol Kirtikar Will Contest From Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha Constituency (image@AmolGKirtikar)
Though the talks of seat sharing are still on the table, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced Amol Kirtikar as candidate from the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency. Soon after he was announced as the candidate, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued notice to Kirtikar over the alleged food supply scam or the khichdi scam which allegedly happened during the period of Covid-19 pandemic.
Kirtikar was given ticket while the talks of seat sharing between the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition partners, Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (SP) (NCP Sharad Pawar), and Congress are still going on. Kirtikar is the son of Gajanan Kirthikar, who won the seat during last two Lok Sabha election. The father is affiliated to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde led faction.
Since the ED summon is looming above his head, Kirtikar is in hurry to get done with hie campaigning, as he fears he may not be able to complete the campaign over the ED summon. He said the ED is working on political orders to arrest him in the khichdi scam.
“I could not go last time because I was at my native place. However, I will be going on Monday. I do not put it past them to arrest me. I am, however, not scared and am making the necessary preparations for it,“ Kirtikar told The Indian Express.
Kirtikar said sometimes the fear of going jail is higher than the fear of jail itself. He said since he did not commit anything wrong, he is not afraid to go to jail if it comes to that.
