Palus Assembly by-poll: Vishwajeet Kadam ‘wins’ with BJP withdrawing from the race

All the decks are clear for the win of Vishwajeet Kadam, son of late Patangrao Kadam of Congress. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has withdrawn its candidate in the Palus-Kadegaon bypoll, Vishwajeet Kadam, Congress candidate, will thus win the election unopposed. Sena did not field a candidate against Kadam to pay homage to late Congress sitting member and former minister Patangrao Kadam. On the contrary, Congress fielded a candidate against rival party in two cases and did not follow unwritten precedent.

Ashok Chavan, president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, on Monday said all candidates along with BJP withdrew nomination from the fray and hence Vishwajeet Kadam won the election unopposed. He said, Congress has kept it's candidate in Palghar Lok Sabha by-poll and will contest the election. Monday was the last day to withdraw nomination from the fray in Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia LS by-poll and Palus-Kadegaon assembly by-poll. The seat fall vacant due to demise of Patangrao Kadam, sitting Congress legislator of Palus assembly seat.

Shiv Sena did not field it's candidate stating it's political precedent that the seat which falls vacant due to death of sitting member, other political parties should support the candidate from his family to win unopposed.

Though the Sena took such stand, the precedent was not followed in several assembly constituencies in recent years. In Bandra-east assembly constituency, when Bala Sawant, Sena's sitting member died, Narayan Rane fielded the by-poll against Trupti Sawant, wife of late Sawant as Congress candidate. Rane lost the election against Sena.

In Mukhed from Nanded district, Congress had fielded Hanumantrao Patil against Tushar Rathod, BJP candidate in the by-poll held in February 2015. The seat falls vacant due to death of newly elected BJP candidate Govind Rathod in 2014 who could not take oath as an elected member of the state assembly.

BJP had fielded candidate against Harshada — wife of Ramesh Vanjale, sitting legislator of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena from Khadakwasala assembly constituency, who died due to cardiac attack in 2011. BJP too did not follow the precedent. BJP's Bhimrao Tapkire had won the seat. However, Harshada was not the candidate of MNS, but was a candidate of the NCP.

Congress candidate Vishwajeet Kadam was declared elected unopposed in the by-poll to the Maharashtra Assembly from Palus-Kadegaon in Sangli, after eight candidates withdrew from the fray, officials said on Monday.