Once Nitin Gadkari’s closest confidantes, Ajay Sancheti probably thought there was no future with the former and that is why he thought it wiser to choose Devendra Fadnavis. It is worth remembering that Sancheti first grabbed headlines when he spent crores from his personal funds to renovate and refurbish Gadkari’s then official residence at 13, Teen Murti Marg, which he had got as the party president. Gadkari brought him into the Rajya Sabha and faced severe criticism from several quarters for it. This time when the time came to choose a commissioner for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), there were three names in the fray. One of the names was Gadkari’s preference. But instead of giving Gadkari’s choice preference, Devendra Fadnavis gave precedence to Ajay Sancheti’s candidate Ajoy Mehta and made him the new commissioner with the BMC. Expectedly, the relations between Gadkari and Sancheti are strained and are now limited to exchanging pleasantries.