Differences with Congress over MLC polls resolved: Uddhav Thackeray

The functionary said that Congress candidate Dilip Patil withdrew his nomination from the Nashik seat and now the Sena UBT’s Sandeep Gulwe would be MVA’s official candidate from Nashik teachers constituency.

Similarly from Konkan seat, the Sena UBT’s Kishor Jain withdrew his nomination and now  Congress’s Ramesh Keer who had also filed his nomination, would now be the official candidate of MVA and he would be in a fray against sitting BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare.

Speaking at a press conference, Sena UBT chief Uddhav said that since he was not in the country after the Lok Sabha elections, a dialogue could not take place with Congress.

“It is a fact there was a ‘loose connection’ (among the MVA partners). I had gone to London after the polls and during that time, all parties declared their candidates and nominations had to be filed within the stipulated time. Sometimes it is better to have the nominations filed instead of not filing it and hence it was filed. Now the issue has been resolved,” Uddhav said.

On Tuesday, state Congress chief Nana Patole had openly expressed his displeasure over Sena UBT announcing the candidates on all the four seats without taking the Congress in confidence and had demanded Uddhav to withdraw candidates from the Konkan graduates and Nashik teachers constituency.

The polls for the four Legislative Council seats — Mumbai and Konkan Graduates and Nashik and Mumbai Teachers Constituencies — are scheduled to be held on June 26.

As soon as the Election Commission announced the date, the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena UBT announced candidates for all the four seats without consulting with the Congress and NCP (SP), which the sources said has created friction between the two parties.

Sena UBT has fielded Anil Parab and J M Abhyankar for the Mumbai Graduates’ and Mumbai Teachers’ constituencies, respectively.

Meanwhile, the parties in the ruling alliance will be facing each other in Mumbai and Nasik Teachers’ Constituencies.

For the Mumbai Teachers’ constituency, J M Abhyankar of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Shivnath Darade (supported by BJP), Subhash More (Shikshak Bharti) and Shivajirao Nalawade (NCP) are in the fray.

The Nashik Teachers’ constituency will witness a fight between Sandeep Gulave of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Kishor Darade (Shiv Sena), Mahendra Bhavsar (NCP) and Vivek Kolhe (independent).

When asked about the fights within the ruling alliance and inability to reach to consensus, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare claimed that it was a strategy of the ruling alliance.

“We are in politics for decades now and know a trick or two. This is our strategy since it will be a preferential voting and we are confident of winning these seats,” said Tatkare.

Mumbai Graduates’ constituency will see a contest between Anil Parab of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Kiran Shelar of the BJP, as Shiv Sena candidate Dr Deepak Sawant withdrew from the polls.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay More withdrew in Konkan graduates’ constituency as well. Ramesh Keer of the Congress and Niranjan Davkhare of the BJP are the candidates for the Konkan Graduates’ constituency.

With inputs from ENS, Mumbai