145;I146;m not promoting Raj146;

My party has asked Digvijay Singh to interact with rebels so there is no splitting of votes. In the event that rebels don8217;t agree to withdraw, as per our party8217;s policy, disciplinary action will be take against them.

8226; During the Lok Sabha elections, you had publicly declared that none of your family members would enter the poll fray. Despite that, Mrs Ujwala Shinde was nominated from Solapur, and now, your son-in-law Raj is a Congress nominee from the Malabar Hill constituency. Why the volte-face?

When Lok Sabha polls were announced, I had specifically informed Congress president Sonia Gandhi that none of my family members, including my wife, would enter the fray. In fact, when the Central Parliamentary Board met in New Delhi, I walked out of the meeting when it discussed the possible candidates for Solapur seat. Once the Congress president took the decision, I had no option.

8226; And your son-in-law, Raj Shroff8230;

As far as Raj Shroff8217;s candidature is concerned, I am not justifying it. But he was nominated since he was a consensus choice.

8226; But there are no takers for your candidate. Senior Congress leaders feel that you are promoting your son-in-law8230;.

I have submitted the factual position. I never promoted any of my family members 8212; either my daughters or my sons-in-law.

8226; The DF government is contesting elections under your leadership, but are you sure of becoming CM again?

In the Congress, the CM is decided by the Congress Legislature Party CLP which is a long-standing tradition.

8226; There were reports that you were looking for a safe constituency, particularly after the defeat of Congress nominees 8212; Anandrao Deokate and Ujwala Shinde 8212; from your hometown?

It8217;s a fact that our defeat in my hometown was shocking. There were offers for me from several districts to contest, but I declined. I am sure, voters of Solapur will elect me again with a bigger margin.