Sutar ducks polls, seeks Sena work

PUNE, AUG 3: Former State Agriculture Minister Shashikant Sutar has opted out of electoral politics. Conveying this to the Shiv Sena lead...

PUNE, AUG 3: Former State Agriculture Minister Shashikant Sutar has opted out of electoral politics. Conveying this to the Shiv Sena leadership, Sutar has indicated he would rather work for the Sena than contest the polls.

Speaking to The Indian Express today, Sutar said he was now waiting for Sena chief Bal Thackeray8217;s word on his decision. He refused to elaborate on future political plans but made it clear he would work for the Sena organisation.

Asked whether he would contest if the party were to renominate him for the Shivajinagar Assembly seat, Sutar said the question did not arise since he had already made up his mind to work for the organisation.

Sutar8217;s decision to stay away from the elections has sent local Sena workers into a tizzy since he is the third leader from the city who is not prepared to face the polls.

Earlier, Deepak Paigude, chosen last time on the Sena ticket from Bhavani Peth, and former Sena district unit chief Nana Balkawde, had decided to stay away from the hustings. Balkawde had contested the last Lok Sabha polls from Khed and in 1995, had run for the Assembly from Mulshi.

Sena sources said Sutar was reluctant to contest the polls because he was sore over not being re-inducted into the State cabinet although the Dudhat Commission, appointed by former CM Manohar Joshi to probe corruption charges levelled by social worker Anna Hazare, had given him a clean chit.

Sources said that Sutar was annoyed even more after the BJP rehabilitated8217; Mahadeo Shivankar. The latter too had been targetted by Hazare but was cleared of the charges.

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A section of the Sena leadership believe that Sutar has deliberately made this move because he runs the risk of not being renominated for the polls. Fielding Sutar again, these leaders say, can be politically embarrassing for the Sena.

Sources close to Sutar conceded that he was not keen on contesting the elections since he was not sure of support from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS which has an extensive network and influence in the Shivajinagar constituency.

The results of the last civic elections still haunt Sutar. All Sena candidates, including his wife Rasika, were defeated in his bastion in the Kothrud area. Sutar supporters believe that the Sena candidates lost the elections because the entire RSS machinery had worked against him.

Sena sources do not rule out the possibility of BJP claiming the Shivajinagar seat if Sutar does not enter the fray. They said BJP had given up the seat in 1990 to make way for Sutar and might want it back now.