It’s a deal: Congress State president Nana Patole, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar asserting the candidates in Mumbai on Tuesday.
| Photograph Credit score: Emmanual Yogini
With tensions persevering with to run excessive inside companions of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over the ceding of the Sangli Lok Sabha seat to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), high leaders of the Maharashtra Congress on Thursday together with MPCC chief Nana Patole, former CM Prithviraj Chavan, and ex-Minister Balasaheb Thorat held a conclave to pacify the occasion’s restive cadre in western Maharashtra.
The Thackeray group’s intransigence over contesting the Sangli seat, a Congress bastion for half-a-century since Independence, had provoked intense resentment among the many Congress cadre in Sangli which refused to marketing campaign for political neophyte Chandrahar Patil, a wrestler who was fielded by the Sena (UBT).
The transfer triggered the Congress’ aspirant for Sangli, Vishal Patil – the grandson of late Maharashtra CM and stalwart Congressman Vasantdada Patil – to insurgent and contest as an Impartial. This has set alarm bells ringing throughout the MVA with its management questioning whether or not the already demoralised Congress cadre in Sangli would marketing campaign wholeheartedly for Chandrahar Patil or not.
Addressing the conclave, Vishwajeet Kadam, the MLA of Palus-Kadegaon (in Sangli) and the chief promoter of Vishal Patil for the seat, warned Mr. Thackeray’s Sena (UBT) that whereas the Congress cadre would work to garner votes for the MVA’s candidate (Chandrahar Patil), the Sena (UBT) mustn’t count on something (by way of seats) within the Maharashtra Meeting election later this yr.
Emotions ran excessive amongst Congress staff as Mr. Kadam, who had fought tooth and nail to make sure Vishal Patil acquired a ticket, gave vent to the seething resentment among the many cadre towards the Sena (UBT).
“For almost a yr, it was sure Vishal Patil could be the candidate and our leaders on the State degree had even conveyed the identical to the Congress excessive command. Nonetheless, issues began to go improper prior to now few weeks when Uddhav Thackeray got here to Sangli and unilaterally staked declare on this seat. Does this ever occur in a democracy? Shouldn’t the Thackeray faction not less than have taken us into confidence? I preserve it was a mistake to offer them the seat,” Mr. Kadam mentioned.
Whereas reluctantly agreeing to adjust to “coalition dharma”, Mr. Kadam mentioned the Thackeray Sena ought to grasp that each one the votes gained by the MVA candidate in Sangli could be Congress votes. Of the six Meeting segments that make up the Sangli constituency, the Sena (UBT) has no presence in a single one in every of them.
In a bid to pacify the upset staff, Balasaheb Thorat mentioned that seat-sharing discussions pertaining to Sangli had reached such an excessive level that the way forward for the MVA and the INDIA alliance was at stake.
“The discussions [between the MVA allies] over the primary 30 Lok Sabha seats went of easily. However the remaining 18, particularly the final three seats and significantly Sangli, took three months to resolve,” Mr. Thorat mentioned.
He mentioned that the Sena (UBT) remained adamant on giving the seat to the Congress, stating that because the Congress had been given Kolhapur, the Thackeray Sena should be given Sangli.
“This was regardless of us repeatedly telling them that the Sangli seat has been a standard Congress bastion,” Mr. Thorat mentioned, lauding Mr. Kadam’s frantic efforts to safe Sangli for the Congress.
Talking on the event, Mr. Chavan candidly admitted that had the 2019 Lok Sabha election for the Congress turned out in a different way, then the occasion wouldn’t have needed to enter into any coalitions.
“Sadly, we’ve got needed to pay the price of coming into into alliances with the opposite events figuring out that we must accept a much less share of seats. It’s regrettable that this value needs to be borne by the lack of Sangli,” Mr. Chavan mentioned, including that everybody in Delhi, be it Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, was conscious of the emotions of disappointment throughout the Sangli Congress unit.
Whereas sympathising with the cadre, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole and the senior leaders urged the cadre to nonetheless work to make sure the victory of the MVA’s candidate with a purpose to maintain the BJP out of energy.
