NCP likely to back SSS chief Raju Shetti

Congress to contest from Dhule-Yavatmal while Kolhapur remains with the NCP

In a far more significant development, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has backed Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) leader Raju Shetti’s candidature from the Hatkanangale Lok Sabha (LS) constituency in Kolhapur for the 2019 Parliamentary election. NCP has also decided not to claim on Dhule LS seat, instead leave it to Congress to contest. Pawar has also ensured Dhananjay Mahadik, sitting Member of Parliament (MP) of the party from Kolhapur not to quit the party and join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp before the LS polls.

Pawar visited Kolhapur twice in a period of a week. In his earlier tour on November 25, Pawar and Shetti held a close door meeting where Pawar assured support of NCP to his candidature.

Shetti, a two-time MP from Hatkanangale, was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituent who transformed into a bitter critic of the saffron party which eventually led to his exit from the NDA in August last year. The move, however, has upset candidates within the NCP as well as the Congress in the Kolhapur-Sangli belt. Nivedita Mane, former MP of NCP from Hatkanangale had quit the party and joined Shiv Sena on last Friday. Shetti had defeated Mane in 2009 LS polls.

In another move on Sunday, Pawar had taken lunch with party MP Mahadik at his home in Kolhapur, as Mahadik is supposed to join BJP before 2019 LS polls. Congress, during its Jan Sangharsh Yatra in September had claimed on the Kolhapur seat in exchange. However, Pawar had cleared the doubts about Mahadik. It has clear indication that NCP will contest Kolhapur and will not be exchanged with the Congress.

In the backdrop of the Congress and the NCP’s proposed ‘mega-coalition’ to induct likeminded parties to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, Pawar’s alleged support to Shetti has disgruntled a section of the Congress in Kolhapur as well. Former Congress MP Kallapa Awade too, is reportedly offended with the meeting between Pawar-Shetti and Pawar-Mahadik. Awade was a strong aspirant of Congress if the seat would be exchanged.

Ahmednagar, Pune, Dhule and Yavatmal are four disputed seats between Congress and NCP negotiation talks. Out of which NCP has prepared its mindset to leave Dhule for Congress if former minister Rohidas Patil would be the Congress candidate. NCP has also left claim from Yevatmal seat, where Manikrao Thakre would be most probable candidate of Congress. Ahmednagar and Pune are yet to be decided.

Jayant Patil, state president of NCP said, “The winnability of candidate is the most important factor we are considering while sharing seat with each other. In this situation, there is possibility that Congress and NCP’s seat would be different than we had contested in 2014 LS polls. For us, each and every seat is important and hence, there will not be differences between us over seat sharing issue.”