Kasba Peth bypoll: Ready to field Tilak family member if MVA agrees to unopposed election, says BJP
BJP leader and Pune District Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Monday, “If the MVA or the Congress agrees to an unopposed election, we will field someone from the Tilak family and withdraw our nominated candidate.”
Patil further informed the Assembly, “The students did not make any complaints of any nature during the NSS camp. However, since the incident came to light, the professor was suspended." (File)
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A day before the last date for filing nominations for the Kasba Peth Assembly bypoll, the BJP has offered to withdraw its nominated candidate and field a family member of deceased legislator Mukta Tilak on the condition that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) agrees to unopposed elections in the constituency.
The deceased MLA’s husband, Shailesh Tilak, though, said the first action in this regard should come from the BJP.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) offer came in response to a statement by state Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday, when he said that injustice has been done to the Tilak family with nominations being denied to her husband or son.
When asked about Patole’s contention, BJP leader and Pune District Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Monday, “If the MVA or the Congress agrees to an unopposed election, we will field someone from the Tilak family and withdraw our nominated candidate.”
Patil, however, went on to add: “Patole is saying for the sake of saying…We will not take it for granted. We are fully prepared to contest the poll. We have given a candidate from (Laxman) Jagtap family in Chinchwad…why are they trying to field a candidate there?”
BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was also present, said he has already appealed to top MVA leaders to withdraw their candidates. “There is still time for withdrawal of candidates. They can do so in next 48 hours,” he added.
On Saturday, the BJP had nominated Hemant Rasane as its candidate for Kasba, ignoring the claims of Shailesh and Kunal Tilak, husband and son respectively of Mukta Tilak. It was Tilak’s demise in December that necessitated the bypoll in the constituency.
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BJP spokesperson Sandeep Khardekar told The Indian Express, “The party is ready to withdraw its candidate if Patole lives up to his word. If the Congress and the MVA agree, we will field a Tilak family member. We have been calling for an unopposed election so that unnecessary expenditure of public money is saved.”
When contacted, Shailesh Tilak said, “If BJP leaders are talking of withdrawing the nominated candidate, they should first withdraw their candidate and announce our name. Only then the Congress can be expected to agreee to unopposed election. The first action should come from the BJP…” Shailesh Tilak added, “If our family was given the BJP ticket, Mukta’s dream would have been realised.”
Congress leader Rohit Tilak said, “Our Tilak family is hurt by the way Mukta Tilak and her family have been treated by BJP. Though I am in the Congress, this concerns our family. I was with Muktatai till the last. She served her party till the last moment and now injustice has been done to her family.”
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