As Shiv Sena (UBT) has its way on Sangli Lok Sabha seat, local Congress leaders to approach Sonia Gandhi

Local Congress leaders from Sangli are upset with the Shiv Sena (UBT) for declaring that wrestler Chandrahar Patil will contest the seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

MLA Vishwajeet Kadam (left) and Sonia Gandhi (right). (Express Archives/ PTI Photo)

With the Shiv Sena (UBT) officially declaring wrestler Chandrahar Patil as its candidate from Sangli in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, local Congress leaders led by MLA Vishwajeet Kadam are set to approach Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday to press on the Grand Old Party to contest the seat.

”Vishwajeet Kadam has been rushed to Delhi to talk to the party’s high command about the Sangli seat,” Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe told The Indian Express.

While Chandrahar Patil’s name was part of the Shiv Sena UBT’s list of 17 candidates declared on Wednesday, party chief Uddhav Thackeray had earlier declared his candidature at a public rally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the constituency. Local Congress leaders stayed away saying they would contest the seat.

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Sena UBT’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, ”There is no dispute whatsoever. We clearly stated during the seat-sharing discussions that we will contest the seat. Our party chief Uddhav Thackeray himself went to Sangli to make the announcement.”

“The Shiv Sena (UBT) is a big political party with a good presence in the region and has to contest seats in western Maharashtra. The Kolhapur seat was given to Congress after Shahu Maharaj, a descendent of Maratha king Shivaji, decided to contest on a Congress ticket,” said Raut said earlier on Wednesday.

Sangli has been a traditional stronghold of the Congress , which had won the seat continuously from Independence till 2014. “It has been a bastion of Congress for long. Thus, the Congress should contest the seat,” Kadam had said recently. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole too had supported the local leaders’ demand.

The Sangli constituency is among the contentious seats that delayed the MVA’s seat-sharing arrangement ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

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The Congress hopes to field Vishal Patil, who is the grandson of late Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil, and is from Sangli. During the talks, the Congress highlighted the Shiv Sena’s lack of organisational presence in Sangli to make its case.

Meanwhile, supporters of Vishal Patil are urging him to contest the seat at any cost. Last time, Vishal had contested as a Swabhimani Shetkari Paksha candidate and lost.

Despite the rumbling over the seat, both parties struck a conciliatory tone. ”We are hopeful that the row will be resolved soon. Such things are common over seat sharing but we don’t think the differences cannot be resolved,” said Londhe.

Sangli will vote on May 7 in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. BJP’s Sanjaykaka Patil won the seat in the last two Lok Sabha elections and has been fielded from this constituency this time too.

-With inputs from Manoj More

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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