Congress replaces Ramtek candidate, gets Mahayuti ally support

Shyamkumar Barve had been asked to file nomination papers as a dummy candidate, said former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan

Mumbai: The Congress has replaced its candidate for the Ramtek parliamentary constituency, Rashmi Barve, with her husband Shyamkumar Barve, as the former’s caste certificate was invalidated during scrutiny. Shyamkumar Barve had been asked to file nomination papers as a dummy candidate as the party leadership had anticipated some mischief, said former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

MUMBAI, INDIA - MARCH 31, 2016 : MLA Bachchu Kadu coming out of Kila Court after he was granted bail by court in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, March 31, 2016. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

“We have decided to make Shyamkumar as our official nominee,” Chavan said.

The announcement of Shyamkumar’s candidature proved to be a shot in the arm for the Congress, as the Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) led by Bachchu Kadu declared its support for him. Ramtek will vote during the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls on April 19, when Shyamkumar Barve will take on Shiv Sena candidate Raju Parve, a former Congress MLA, and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate Kishore Gajbhiye, a former IAS officer.

The Congress had earlier nominated Rashmi Barve as its candidate from Ramtek. But after the district caste certificate scrutiny committee invalidated her caste certificate on March 28, her nomination was cancelled.

She moved the high court for relief, which stayed the district caste certificate scrutiny committee order on grounds that the certificate was rejected in a hasty manner which indicated malafide intention, but refused to interfere with the cancellation of nomination. Rashmi Barve subsequently moved the supreme court challenging the unlawful deprivation of her right to contest the Lok Sabha election through arbitrary means and illegal actions.

After the announcement of her husband’s candidature on Sunday, the Congress received a shot in the arm in the constituency as the Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) extended its support to him. Ramesh Karamore, Nagpur district president of the PJP, made the announcement. The party has already extended its support to another Congress candidate, Dr Abhay Patil, who is contesting from the Akola Lok Sabha seat.

Though the PJP is an ally of the BJP-led Mahayuti, its leader Bachchu Kadu was miffed as the party was not allotted a single seat in the seat-sharing pact. He also opposed sitting BJP MP Navneet Rana’s renomination from the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency, but was ignored by the party.