Candidature of MP Navneet Rana, seat-sharing differences lead to strife among Mahayuti allies
MUMBAI: Despite the staunch opposition to the candidature of sitting Amravati MP Navneet Rana by leaders of all the ruling allies, the BJP on Wednesday announced her renomination, sparking dissent. In addition to this, the three ruling parties are at loggerheads over the sharing of at least six seats, leading to a delay in the announcement of candidates.
Even after multiple meetings in Mumbai and Delhi of leaders from the three ruling parties, the alliance has not been able to come to a decision on seat-sharing.
The parties are fighting over the Nashik, Mumbai South, Ratnagiri-sindhudurg, Osmanabad, Aurangabad and Satara constituencies. While the BJP and the
Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena have both staked a claim to Nashik, Mumbai South, Ratnagiri-sindhudurg and Aurangabad, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP are fighting over Satara.
The Nashik constituency has become a bone of contention, as the BJP is planning to field state minister and Ajit Pawar camp leader Chhagan Bhujbal as its candidate although the Ajit faction is unhappy about this poaching within the alliance.
The Shinde camp, on its part, is also vying for the seat, which has been represented by its sitting MP Hemant Godse. For the Aurangabad seat, the BJP has shortlisted two names—bhagvat Karad and state minister Atul Save—while the Shinde faction wants to field state minister Sandipan Bhumare from there.
The BJP and the Shinde camp are also fighting over the Mumbai South seat, as the decision on inducting the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (which will be given the seat if it joins the alliance) is still pending. The Shinde camp has staked its claim, saying Mumbai South was originally a Shiv Sena seat, while the BJP is batting for it on the claim that it has a better chance of winning.
Similarly, Shinde wants to field Kiran Samant from Ratnagiri-sindhudurg, while the BJP wants union minister Narayan Rane to contest from there.
The Satara candidature is another difficult decision for the BJP, as its probable candidate Udayanraje Bhosale is not its first choice, although Bhosale has built up tremendous pressure on the leadership.
The Ajit Pawar NCP is demanding the constituency either for its leader Ramraje Nimbalkar or his brother Sajivraje Nimbalkar.
“We had several meetings in Mumbai and Delhi but the stalemate continues on various issues,” said a BJP leader. “The talks with the MNS last week also delayed the seat-sharing discussions. Apart from this, the internal exchange of some constituencies is yet to be done, as it will depend on the candidates put up by the opposition. We can afford to delay the decision for a few more days because of the multiple phases of the elections and the wide gap between them.”
Meanwhile, dissent erupted minutes after the announcement of Navneet Rana’s candidature from Amravati. Shinde faction leader and former MP Anandrao Adsul, and independent MLA Bacchu Kadu who has supported the Shinde Sena, both announced that they would not campaign for Rana. Local BJP leaders and workers too are unhappy with the party’s decision to field her.