Another son-rise in NCP? Call for Jayant Patil’s son Prateek to contest from Hatkanangale Lok Sabha seat

The Hatkanangale constituency is spread between Sangli and Kolhapur districts and is currently represented by Dhairyasheel Mane, who has sided with the Eknath Shinde fraction of the Shiv Sena. Mane had defeated farmers’ leader Raju Shetti.

Over the last four to five years, Prateek has been actively working in the Islampur Assembly seat represented by his father since its creation in 2009. The constituency was earlier called Walva and was represented by Rajarambapu, Jayant Patil’s father. With sugar mills, cooperative institutions and educational institutes, the Patil family has a stronghold over the Assembly seat known for its cane fields and dairy industry.

Reflecting on the allegations of dynastic politics that Opposition leaders levy against the NCP, Prateek said, “My father was in the USA when my grandfather passed away. When he returned, he was more interested in tying up the loose ends and returning to the US but local workers insisted that he stay back and take up the unfinished work. In politics, the workers and their sentiments are supreme.”

The NCP may have undergone a vertical split with Ajit Pawar deciding to join hands with the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) government but the worker on the field is still with Sharad Pawar, Prateek said. “A lot depends on the ground workers…they know the work Sharad Pawar has done and his relations with them are still strong,” he added.

Asked about his political ambitions, Prateek said he was more interested in connecting with people and working in poverty alleviation. “During a meeting, the NCP workers sought that I be made the candidate for the Hatkanangale Lok Sabha seat. That is all I know,” he said.