India, May 2 -- The announcement of Naresh Mhaske of the Shiv Sena as the Maha Yuti candidate for the Thane Lok Sabha constituency, which had been much delayed, has sparked an uproar among supporters of local strongman Ganesh Naik in Navi Mumbai. Sanjeev Naik, the elder son of the former Maharashtra minister, had been preparing for months to contest as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. In protest, BJP office bearers, including former corporators, have resigned en masse, alleging that the party has continuously treated the former minister unfairly. Moreover, they have urged Sanjeev Naik to contest as an independent candidate.

The resignations by party workers, which began on Wednesday, reached their peak on Thursday as Naik loya...