Pune: In a significant move that may impact the Mahayuti in the Wadgaon Sheri constituency, former Deputy Mayor and leader of the Republican Party of India (Athawale), Dr. Siddharth Dhende, has resigned from the party.
Dr. Dhende submitted his resignation to the party’s national president and Union Minister of State for Social Justice, Ramdas Athawale, and to Pune RPI city president, Sanjay Sonawane.
Dr. Dhende’s resignation follows growing frustration over what he describes as a lack of respectful treatment toward RPI(A) within the Mahayuti alliance.
Dr. Dhende stated in his resignation letter that his decision was made after extensive discussions with party members and office-bearers who shared similar concerns.
He cited several instances of neglect, including the Mahayuti's decision not to allocate any seats to RPI(A) in the recent Lok Sabha elections and the reluctance to grant the party representation in the Assembly elections, despite RPI(A) having its own election symbol.
“For the last 27 years, I have worked within Ramdas Athawale’s party as an activist in the Ambedkarite movement. I have used my political positions to spread Ambedkarite ideology and serve society with justice. I have supported the party’s various political stances according to its policies.
However, in recent months, I have noticed a lack of respectful treatment towards RPI(A) within the Mahayuti. Several workers and office-bearers have voiced similar feelings,” Dr. Dhende wrote in his letter to Athawale.
Dr. Dhende expressed disappointment over the perceived sidelining of RPI(A) within the alliance, specifically noting that the Mahayuti did not allocate even a single seat to the party in the Lok Sabha elections.
Despite RPI(A)’s independent symbol for the Assembly elections, the alliance avoided offering RPI(A) representation. This ongoing situation reportedly led to widespread dissatisfaction among the party's workers and leaders, prompting Dr. Dhende’s decision to resign.
