New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday described the invitation of Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray to contest Lok Sabha elections as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate as "immature and ridiculous", saying the BJP has a system of selecting candidates for the elections.

Responding to a query on the statement of Thackeray, Gadkari dismissed the suggestion, asserting that the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader need not worry about BJP leaders.

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"The suggestion of Thackeray is immature and ridiculous. There is a system of giving tickets to candidates in BJP," he said.

Gadkari said Thackeray's suggestion came much before the BJP's discussion on distribution of tickets in Maharashtra for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

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He made the remarks while speaking to PTI about the opening of the 19-km long Haryana section of the Dwarka Expressway.

Speaking at a rally last week, Thackeray had said Gadkari should show "Maharashtra's mettle" and resign instead of "bowing before Delhi".

"We will ensure his election as an MVA candidate," Thackeray had said.

Gadkari exuded confidence that the BJP-led NDA will get more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

Gadkari said Dwarka Expressway is a state-of-art project, and added, "The government saved 20 per cent in construction cost against estimates in awarding contracts of Dwarka Expressway."

He also said there were projects worth Rs 65,000 crore in Delhi and its nearby areas for construction of roads, highways, and expressways.

Out of these, projects worth Rs 35,000 crore have been completed and the rest will be completed by December, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the 19-km Haryana section of Dwarka Expressway, which will improve traffic flow and ease congestion between Delhi and Gurugram on NH-48, and will also boost economic activities in the National Capital Region.

The total length of Dwarka Expressway is 29 km, of which 18.9 km falls in Haryana, while the remaining 10.1 km is in Delhi.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)