The Congress party is going the extra mile to get back Sangali Lok Sabha seat from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). It is willing to barter Mumbai North constituency for Sangali. The grand old party has also come forward to offer MLC to Chandrahar Patil.
As of now, Congress rebel Vishal Patil has filed his nomination papers from Sangali. Pitted against him is Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Chandrahar Patil. BJP's sitting MP Sanjay Kaka Patil is seeking reelection from the constituency.
“We have given a proposal to Uddhav Thackeray asking his party to take Mumbai North instead of Sangali. We're expecting a positive reply from Uddhav Thackeray and Chandrahar Patil as well. If Chandrahar Patil withdraws his candidature we're willing to offer him MLC in addition to Mumbai North seat. It will be a win-win situation for Patil," said a senior Congress leader.
Another senior Congress leader pointed out that Sangali is the traditional seat of the Congress even though the party candidates lost the last two Lok Sabha polls there. Vishal Patil, who is the grandson of former Congress Chief Minister Vasant Dada Patil, had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by over 1.50 lakh votes against the BJP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil while Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate Gopichand Padalkar had bagged over three lakh votes in that election.
“VBA played a major role in the defeat of Vishal Patil in 2019. This time around, VBA is not a major force. Therefore, the Congress feels that the party candidate has a chance of clinching the seat. We've got a strong base in the constituency unlike Shiv Sena (UBT). If Vishal Patil contests as an independent candidate, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate will end up in number 3 position. Uddhav Thackeray and Chandrahar Patil should understand the ground reality and accept the Congress offer. This is the best opportunity to defeat the BJP in Sangali by a high margin," the Congress leader added.