Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections set to be held later this year, stakes are high for the Ajit Pawar-led NCP as after Maval where the BJP and NCP have locked horns, Indapur is another seat in Pune district where tension is brewing between the alliance partners of the Mahayuti. The NCP is also likely to face a problem in Madha seat of Solapur as party MLA Baban Shinde on Sunday met NCP (S-P) chief Sharad Pawar, creating ripples in political circles. Indapur seat, which has been won by NCP twice, has come into focus as BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil has indicated his interest in contesting once again from the seat. "My father for sure will contest from Indapur seat," Ankita Patil told reporters in Indapur last week. Though Harshavardhan Patil himself did not directly express his intentions, he said party workers are urging him to contest the seat. "I will to have think about the demand raised by party workers," he said. However, the BJP dismissed the possibility of a rebellion in its ranks. "I don't think any leader of our party will take decision against the interest of the party and the Mahayuti," said Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Harshavardhan Patil, who was earlier in the Congress, is an influential leader from Indapur taluka and a four-time MLA. He also runs an engineering college in Pimpri-Chinchwad. He is known for his proxmity to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. His statement, after entering the BJP, has created quite a buzz in Maharashtra. Ahead of the assembly elections, posters and banners supporting Harshavardhan Patil have sprung up across Indapur taluka, promoting the creation of 'Indapur Taluka Vikas Aghadi' (ITVA), a socio-political organisation under whose banner Patil fought elections until he joined Congress in 2009. Harshavardhan Patil had won Indapur seat as an independent in 1995, 1999, and 2004 elections. After that, he joined the Congress. In the 2014 election, he was defeated by Dattatraya Bharne, who had won on an NCP ticket. In the 2019 election, Harshavardhan Patil joined BJP before the elections. He again fought against Bharne but lost for the second time. In Maval, sitting NCP MLA Sunil Shelke is being opposed by former BJP MLA Bala Bhegde. Bhegde demanded that the seat should be contested by BJP or else he will rebel. Shelke, on his part, said he will abide by the decision taken by the Mahayuti leaders. Meanwhile, Madha MLA Baban Shinde, who belongs to Ajit Pawar-led NCP, met NCP (S-P) national president Sharad Pawar on Sunday. His son Ranjitsinh Shinde accompained him. Reacting to the development, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said Shinde must have met Sharad Pawar for some personal work. "Sharad Pawar meets different people for personal work. Baban Shinde will not leave Ajit Pawar," he said. When contacted, Supriya Sule, MP and working president of NCP (S-P), said,"I don't know what transpired in the meeting." NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil said the party had no clue why Shinde met Pawar.
