MUMBAI: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra is facing a fresh crisis over claims on the Sangli Parliamentary seat.
The Shiv Sena (UBT)'s sudden decision to stake claim on the Sangli Lok Sabha seat by announcing their candidate even before a seat-sharing deal could be finalised among the members of the opposition alliance has left the Maharashtra Congress miffed.
During a campaign trail last week, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had named Chandrahar Patil – a prominent wrestler and two-time ‘Maharashtra Kesri’ awardee – as its Lok Sabha candidate for Sangli. "We need to send a strongman from Sangli with a blunt mace in one hand and a flaming torch (Thackeray's party symbol) in the other to Parliament. I appoint Chandrahar Patil as Shiv Sena Lok Sabha coordinator for Sangli district," Thackeray had said.
Incidentally, Patil's candidature for the Lok Sabha polls was announced earlier by the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), which is in talks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi for an alliance. Patil had earlier won the Sangli Zilla Parishad elections on an NCP (undivided) ticket.
Thackeray's announcement goes against the agreement reached within the MVA last week that none of the constituents would unilaterally declare candidates.
Moreover, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had earlier said that in lieu of Sangli, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has given up its claim to the Kolhapur constituency from where Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj (the 12th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) is likely to be fielded on a Congress ticket. Kolhapur had elected a Shiv Sena (undivided) candidate, Sanjay S Mahadik, in 2019.
Raut said that Kolhapur and Ramtek Lok Sabha seats will be contested by the Congress while staking Shiv Sena (UBT)'s claim on the Sangli Lok Sabha seat.
Congress: 'Won't give up Sangli at any cost'
On the other hand, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole announced that their candidate Vishal Patil who is the grandson of former chief minister Vasantdada Patil would contest from Sangli. Vishal had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but was defeated. Patil has already started campaigning.
Patole added that the Congress party will not leave the seat at any cost because it has potential to win the seat.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has reportedly voiced its displeasure over the Congress declaring their candidate from Sangli after the former had already announced they would be contesting from the seat. Raut claimed that the matter had already been decided during MVA seat-sharing talks and that they would now speak to the Congress leadership in Delhi, as per media reports.
On Monday, a delegation comprising Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, Congress legislative party leader Balasaheb Thorat, and Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar, Congress MLA and leader of Opposition, State assembly, left for Delhi to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi to report their disagreement over Shiva Sena (UBT) staking claim on Sangli.
The Congress' opposition could further delay the official announcement of the seat-sharing formula among the MVA constituents - the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
BJP's Sanjaykaka Patil is the incumbent two-time MP from Sangli, which went out of Congress’ control after the latter held sway there for over 52 years. The BJP has won the Sangli seat for two consecutive terms.
Congress leader opposes Chandrahar Patil's candidacy
Meanwhile, a senior Congress leader requesting anonymity told this newspaper that Raut should follow the decorum of alliance and not declare candidates' names before they are finalised. He asserted, "It was pre-decided that the winnability factor would be the criteria while allocating seats to candidates. In Sangli, the Congress has a strong presence and chance to win while Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Chandrahar Patil has no connection among the people. Patil joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena only few days back. Besides, he is not either an MLA or a big leader. He is only known as a wrestler. Therefore, any cost, we will not leave this seat to Shiv Sena (UBT) and throw it away to the BJP."
The leader further added that even if the Sangli seat went to the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress would still field Vishal Patil and have a friendly fight with them, just like in Kerala.
The leader claimed that the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are struggling to get candidates and want to fight many seats. He questioned, “For what? To give away seats to the BJP? The NCP (SP) has no strong candidate in Bhiwandi and Wardha but they still they want to contest from both those Lok Sabha seats."
He also claimed that the NCP (SP) not only wants the Wardha seat from the Congress party but they are also asking for their candidate. "Our Congress leader and former MLA Amar Kale has been called by Sharad Pawar and is being asked to contest on NCP (SP) symbol from the Wardha Lok Sabha seat. The Congress has major chances to win many seats but things are not being worked out as per the winnability criteria,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Vishwajeet P Kadam, an ex-minister and a two-time sitting MLA from Palus-Kadegaon, told media that there are around 600 villages in Sangli district and that the Congress has its leaders and elected representatives in many of them.
Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, while admitting the party’s stronghold in Sangli, diplomatically said that “the senior leaders of both the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) will sit together and hammer out an amicable solution” to the fresh challenge.
(With additional inputs from IANS, and Online Desk)
