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Bhosari is rebel hub as NCP fails to field official candidate
Corporator Prashant Shitole, from Sangvi, submitted his nomination form from Chinchwad constituency on Friday, while Shiv Sena’s Rahul Kalate, group leader of Pimpri-Chinchwad city, turned rebel and filed the nomination form as an independent candidate
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) failed to nominate an official candidate from Bhosari, on the last day of filing of nomination forms for the assembly elections on Friday. Former NCP member of legislative assembly (MLA) Vilas Lande and NCP senior corporator Datta Sane filed the nominations on independent tickets.
Corporator Prashant Shitole, from Sangvi, submitted his nomination form from Chinchwad constituency on Friday, while Shiv Sena’s Rahul Kalate, group leader of Pimpri-Chinchwad city, turned rebel and filed the nomination form as an independent candidate.
The forms were submitted at the Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority (PCNTDA) election office, Akurdi. BJP’s sitting MLA Laxman Jagtap has already filed the nomination on BJP-Sena ally.
Chaos in Pimpri
In the Pimpri constituency chaos was reported as NCP’s former MLA Anna Bansode and NCP corportator Sulkshna Shilwant-Dhar both filed nomination forms on NCP tickets. BJP’s former corporator Bhima Bobade filed the form as an independent candidate.
On Thursday, BJP activist Amit Gorkhe filed his nomination. BJP’s ally, Shiv Sena, has already declared sitting MLA Gautam Chabukswar as their candidate in Pimpri scheduled caste reserved constituency. Chankrakanta Sonkamble, who in 2014 fought against Chabukswar is a nominee of the RPI (Athavale).
NCP’s Shekhar Ovhal filed the form on an independent ticket. Ovhal said, “The party did not consider my loyalty and so I am contesting as an independent candidate.”
Sunil Shelke filed nomination on NCP’s ticket from Maval along with a rally of his supporters. NCP’s MP Amol Kolhe was also present during the form submission. Upset by NCP’s decision of offering a ticket to BJP’s corporator Shelke, the senior party leaders organised a meeting in Maval. NCP’s Bapu Begade and Balasaheb Nevale were strong contenders for NCP in Maval.
Pimpri-Chinchwad city in a spin
Meanwhile, with key political leaders rallying across the Pimpri-Chinchwad city on Friday to file their nominations, traffic was thrown out of gear. The commuters faced inconvenience, especially in Bhosari pockets. The mega rally organised by Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) sitting MLA Mahesh Landge created chaos in peak hours in Bhosari. The traffic was stalled on the routes at Bhosari Gavthan, PMT chowk, Dighi road, Tingre petrol pump and Gavjatra Maidan. Traffic congestion was also witnessed at Nigdi and Akurdi.
Ajit Pawar files nomination from Baramati
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and NCP leader Ajit Pawar were among the prominent Maharashtra politicians who filed nominations for the October 21 Assembly polls on Friday, the last day to submit the papers.
Fadnavis, the first BJP chief minister of the state, filed his papers from the Nagpur South-West constituency.
Pawar filed nomination from the Baramati segment he currently represents in the assembly. The former Maharashtra deputy chief minister is pitted against BJP’s Gopichand Padalkar in Baramati in Pune district.
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is contesting the Assembly election from Baramati seat, urged the party workers on Friday to refrain from calling Gopichand Padalkar, BJP’s candidate from the constituency, an “outsider”.
Pawar was addressing a public rally in Baramati during the filing of nomination filing.
“It is wrong to think why someone is coming here and contesting the election, as the Constitution has given him the right,” he said.
“Making a statement that Padalkar is an outsider is a wrong thing and I appeal to you to refrain from criticising a candidate, who is contesting election,” he said.
Talking to mediapersons, Pawar also said that he never thought that BJP leaders and state ministers Vinod Tawde and Chandrashekhar Bawankule would be denied ticket by their party.
He expressed confidence that he would win the election with a huge margin considering the support he was getting from the people of Baramati.
