The Maharashtra Congress is upset with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) over its decision to withdraw candidates from the biennial Legislative Council elections in Thane and Pune, alleging that the party was indulging in "settlement politics".
The local Congress unit has urged the state leadership to reconsider its association with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and chart its own political course against the BJP. Congress leaders alleged that the party cannot win elections by relying on allies who are more interested in settlement politics than in taking on the BJP-led Mahayuti.
In Thane, NCP (SP) candidate Abhijeet Pawar abruptly withdrew his nomination at the last moment against the Shiv Sena candidate Ravindra Pathak, paving the way for the latter's unopposed election. Pathak is backed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
In Pune, NCP (SP) insisted on contesting the MLC election despite the Congress having a strong candidate. The party fielded Shrikant Patil against NCP candidate Vikram Kakade. However, Patil withdrew his candidature at the eleventh hour, clearing the way for Kakade's election.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vasant More said the MVA had a strong chance of winning the Pune MLC election, but NCP (SP) undermined those prospects by withdrawing its candidate without consulting alliance partners.
He said the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership should discuss the issue with the NCP (SP) leadership to ensure such situations do not recur.
Responding to the criticism, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said the withdrawal of the party's candidates was due to confusion and technical issues and rejected allegations of any settlement.
He said that Congress had withdrawn its candidates in Solapur and other places, and questioned what allegations should then be levelled against the Congress.
“We are part of the MVA alliance, so we need to understand each other's issues and iron out the differences and put the united fight against the BJP. We are committed to secular and progressive ideology, and there is no compromise over it. Our fight will continue against the communal forces,” Pawar said.