Samant, head of BEST Kamgar Sena for 25 years, quits over credit society poll defeat

Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) Suhas Samant, president of the BEST Kamgar Sena, on Friday tendered his resignation taking moral responsibility for the defeat of the joint panel of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS in the employees credit society election.

Samant headed the BEST Kamgar Sena, affiliated to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, for nearly 25 years.

His resignation came a day after Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said there must have been shortcomings in the planning for the election, and there would be internal reshuffling.

"I have resigned taking moral responsibility of the defeat. The entire committee of 14 members too has resigned," said Samant, who is one of the deputy leaders in the Shiv Sena (UBT), talking to PTI.

While the election to the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society is generally a low-key affair, Samant made it a prestige battle which backfired, said a Sena (UBT) source.

Amid a buzz about Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, coming together for civic polls in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra, the two parties put up a joint panel in the credit society election earlier this week.

But the panel lost on all 21 seats. The rival panel of Shashank Rao bagged the maximum 14 seats.

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) is the transport and electricity supply wing of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. PTI PR KRK