Nashik constituency becomes the bone of contention in Mahayuti alliance

According to the insiders, the BJP wants a Satara seat for Udayanraje Bhosale, a direct descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. NCP is not ready to concede the seat as they had won it in 2019 when NCP was united

Mumbai: With the tug of war over seat-sharing within the ruling alliance ‘ Mahayuti’ continues, the Nashik Lok Sabha has become a bone of contention between the three ruling parties. Though Ajit Pawar-led NCP got Parbhani and Osmanabad in the seat-sharing pact but is still struggling to get Satara or Nashik in its exchange, insiders said.

Though Ajit Pawar-led NCP got Parbhani and Osmanabad in the seat-sharing pact but is still struggling to get Satara or Nashik in its exchange, insiders said.

Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare announced that the Parbhani constituency would be given to Mahadev Jankar-led Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) as an alliance partner. Jankar, a popular Dhangar leader, would be contesting from the seat. NCP insiders said that they have also got Osmanabad in the sharing of seats, but the focal point of the dispute is currently the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency.

According to the insiders, the BJP wants a Satara seat for Udayanraje Bhosale, a direct descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. NCP is not ready to concede the seat as they had won it in 2019 when NCP was united. The party also believes that they have a strong candidate and significant hold which will help them win Satara’s seat.

“After a lot of deliberations, NCP agreed to concede the seat but on the condition that they want the Nashik seat in exchange. The party also has a strong candidate in Nashik, which is the party’s heavyweight and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. Now BJP is pushing chief minister Eknath Shinde to leave the seat for NCP, but the latter has put his foot down,” revealed an insider.

Nashik comes in the Shiv Sena quota as Hemant Godse, the sitting MP from Nashik Lok Sabha constituency, shifted his loyalty to CM Shinde during the split in Shiv Sena in June 2022. The chief minister is adamant about renominating him as his candidate for the seat.

This is the reason he asked Godse to start his campaign though the allies are yet to reach a consensus on Nashik. On Saturday, Godse launched his campaign. “CM asked me to keep patience. The final list of candidates will come in a few days till then, I should reach out to the people as an aspirant and inform them about the work done during my tenure,” he told the media persons.

Bhujbal, too indicated the same, saying he did not ask for an election ticket, but his name came up during a discussion among top leaders in Delhi. “I am ready to accept any decision and will work for Mahayuti,” he said.

The annoyance in Shiv Sena was visible when its spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat, advised NCP to seek some seats according to their capacity. “I want to tell NCP leaders not to ask more than what is expected, or else we will be forced to do the same, and the dispute will deepen further. No one will object if they ask for seats understanding their capacity, but asking for every other seat doesn’t mean that others are idiots,” he commented.