ED threat looming, Sena UBT’s Amol Kirtikar in full campaign mode a month before polls

Amol, son of Gajanan Kirtikar, who won the seat during the last two Lok Sabha polls, however is not being paranoid. Within hours of Shiv Sena announcing him as their candidate from North West Mumbai, he received ED summons on March 27.

“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.

The preparation includes trying to complete as much campaigning as possible before April 8, even though elections are later. “Normally it is after filing nomination papers that such round the clock campaigning is done. However, since there is nothing that I put past ED especially after the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, I am trying to finish off as much campaigning as possible. On the other hand, my opponent has not even been named,” he added.

He said, “Apart from this, I have given up on non-vegetarian food, have purchased clothes appropriate to jail and even told my family about my savings in case ED tries to freeze my accounts. Most of the time, the fear of going to jail is much more than jail itself. I know I have not done anything wrong and hence am not worried.”

“In my case, there were 80-90 vendors who were supplying khichdi during Covid so how come a few people were singled out? Everyone has financial irregularities but ED makes it appear like a financial crime. The Election Commission of India or Supreme Court too may intervene if they feel that certain decisions are being taken to impact elections,” he adds.

Closer home for Amol, there is another contradiction at hand. While he is contesting on Sena UBT ticket, his father Gajanan Kirtikar sided with Shiv Sena affiliated to CM Eknath Shinde when the party split.

After Amol was named as the Sena UBT candidate from North West, many foresaw father-son contesting against each other. Senior Kirtikar, currently in his 80’s, however quelled the buzz saying he would refrain from contesting against his son leaving the seat open for another contestant.

“Even though we are from different parties, my father respects my individual decisions when it comes to politics although sometimes, he does say I am ‘hatti’ (obstinate). When the Sena split, he told me other sons are following their fathers to the Shinde faction and I too should join him. I told him those would be sons whose careers depend on their fathers. I told him I have worked hard and want to side with Uddhav Thackeray who has taken forward the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray who told Shiv Sainiks to never to surrender,” Amol said.

With a strong buzz about former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who has been targeting Amol, may likely contest the same seat from some other party, Amol said, “He is a senior leader and I don’t make personal remarks against anyone. He has the constitutional right to contest from the seat.”