Mumbai, Feb 17 (IANS): Shiv Sena UBT received yet another setback on his home pitch after the deputy vibhagpramukh of Bandra West Jitendra Janawale on Monday resigned from the party ahead of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election. He is set to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on February 20.

“I’m sorry sir. I’m tired of the organisational mismanagement. I’m resigning,” said Janawale who was among the first who had taken the Mashal (flaming torch) to party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s Matoshree residence after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In an emotional letter addressed to Thackeray, Janawale has accused the party legislator and Vibhagpramukh of intentionally keeping him away from the party organisational work in Bandra West.

“I am deliberately excluded from the party work. No action has been taken even after expressing grievances,” he said, adding “Sir, forgive me. I am resigning from my post as for the last six years there has been a conspiracy by senior party office bearers to appoint me outside my area of work and to make me a political target. Sir, in the last municipal elections, I left my job and fought the election vigorously against the BJP. I lost by just a few votes, but I did not get discouraged and stubbornly continued my organisational public service and patient service work.”

“I had only one thought that I would once again hoist the saffron flag in my ward 71 in the Vile Parle Assembly constituency, but unfortunately, the Vibhag Pramukh Anil Parab kept me out of the Shakha for the last six years by assigning me party work in the neighbouring Assembly constituency. I repeatedly requested Parab, to take me back to the Shakha and give me party responsibility but he only gave dates and disappointed me,” claimed Janawale.

“Not only this, I also had to endure humiliation in the meetings of the Vile Parle Legislative Assembly where I lived because I was not a local office bearer. I felt that all these ways of excluding me were being done to me deliberately. However, I kept working for the growth of the organisation with patience for six years,” he mentioned.

He recalled his meeting with Uddhav Thackeray and former minister Aaditya Thackeray at Matoshree to express grief over the wrong organisational practices citing that the issue was not resolved finding a logistical solution.

“Sir, if this is the case for a Shiv Sainik like me, who is at the forefront of the movement, who is beaten by the police, who is involved in organising and socialising, who is making rounds in the courts regarding the movement cases, what exactly is the criterion?” he asked while expressing frustration over the present state of affairs in the functioning of the Shiv Sena UBT.

“Sir, I am tired of all these organisational mismanagements and as a Shiv Sainik, I will not be able to work as an office bearer under anyone's pressure and outside the Shakha. Instead of thinking about how long I will have to endure being ignored despite my potential, I am submitting my resignation from the post of Deputy Vidbhagorqmukh with a heavy heart through this letter to you. Excuse me,” said Janawale.

Janawale’s decision to call it a day is important as the Shiv Sena UBT has yet to come out of shock following drubbing in the Assembly election.

Despite exits by several party functionaries the party is struggling to keep its flock together and launch preparations for the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections.

For Shiv Sena UBT it is an acid test to retain its supremacy as it faces major challenges from the BJP and Shiv Sena which have geared up their poll preparations.

Janawale’s resignation comes against the backdrop of exit from party functionaries. Last week three-term legislators Rajan Salvi, Subhash Bane among others left the Shiv Sena UBT and joined Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.