Nana Patole: Congress to contest Sangli Lok Sabha seat, Vishal Patil is candidate

The announcement comes days after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray welcomed well-known wrestler Chandrahar Patil from Sangli to his party and indicated that he will be fighting the Sangli LS Seat. Patil had thanked Thackeray for “giving him the ticket” from the Sangli Lok Sabha and promised him a victory. Thackeray, in a veiled remark, had said, “Who am I to give candidature to anyone if the people of Sangli have decided?”

Sangli used to be a Congress bastion. The party lost it for the first time after independence in 2014 to the BJP, which retained the constituency in 2019, too.

From Congress, former Maharashtra CM Vasantdada Patil’s grandson and young party leader Vishal Patil is among contenders. In 2019, he contested for farmer leader Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana but lost after the VBA polled more than three lakh votes. Congress leader Vishwajeet Kadam too has repeatedly emphasised that the seat belongs to the Congress and extended support to Patil.

Despite the talks of alliance between Congress and Prakash Ambedkar-led VBA, two sides were at loggerheads after VBA published a poster of Congress leader And MLA Praniti Shinde with the background of the BJP’s election symbol Lotus. Patole said that he has instructed Shinde to initiate legal action. Without naming any party, Shinde claimed that those who will try to divide Congress votes will help the BJP. Reportedly, VBA took the taunt on itself and targeted Shinde.