Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday vowed to ensure the defeat of Shirur MP Amol Kolhe, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. On his part, Kolhe said he was gearing up to contest the seat and was not bothered about what his rivals were up to. Criticising Kolhe, Ajit Pawar, without naming the sitting MP, said, “If an MP had paid attention to his constituency in five years, it would have benefitted. That MP was given a ticket by me. I and Dilip Walse-Patil put in our best efforts to ensure his election,” he said. Ajit Pawar said the Shirur Lok Sabha seat has six assembly constituencies. “But he (Kolhe) was not seen in any of them. He completely ignored the Lok Sabha constituency,” he said. Ajit Pawar claimed Kolhe wanted to resign because he was preoccupied with the film and television world. “He said he was an artist and his movies were getting affected. He said even the movie on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj didn't succeed. ‘This was affecting me financially’. This is what he told our senior (Sharad Pawar) and me before seeking to resign as an MP,” he said. “I was not going to talk about this but since elections are coming, some people have become enthusiastic. Some are taking out sangharsh yatra, others are taking out padyatra,” he added. Stating they will field a new candidate in Shirur, Ajit Pawar said they had nominated the appropriate candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. “We field candidates depending on the public opinion. After getting elected, each one has to decide how to work in his constituency. Now, we will ensure the victory of the candidate who will be fielded from Shirur,” he added. Reacting to Ajit Pawar's attack on him, Kolhe said, “Ajit Pawar is a tall leader. I can't comment on what he said. I don't think he will throw a challenge to a small worker like me. But it is true that whenever I did good work, it was he who appreciated it”. Kolhe said, “I am gearing up to contest the Shirur seat again if my party chief Sharad Pawar fields me again. I am more focused on my work and not bothered by what the rivals are planning”. Kolhe is a popular Maratha actor known for his roles as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in movies and television serials. He started his career with the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray. He later resigned and joined the NCP before the 2019 elections. He was fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party from the Shirur constituency where he defeated three-time sitting MP Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil who is also preparing to contest from the seat. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP camp said Ajit Pawar was peeved with Kolhe because he refused to join him. When Ajit Pawar staged a rebellion in July this year, Kolhe was present for the swearing-in ceremony. However, later he said he was misled and had no knowledge that Ajit Pawar had decided to join hands with the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
