Sangli not a closed chapter yet, Congress leaders appeal to MVA for a rethink

MVA partners Shiv Sena and Congress clash over Sangli Lok Sabha seat despite seat-sharing pact, raising dissent and potential candidate shifts.

MUMBAI:The Sangli Lok Sabha constituency has been the bone of contention between two Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners – Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress – since the time the bugle was sounded for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Despite the three parties announcing their seat-sharing pact on Tuesday, with vow to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA in Maharashtra, voices of dissent surfaced within 24 hours, with local Congress leaders appealing to the coalition to reconsider the decision on Sangli.

Sangli is not a closed chapter yet, Cong leaders appeal to MVA for a rethink

They have argued that as it has been Congress’s stronghold since Independence, the leaders have a better understanding of “ground realities in the constituency” than Sena (UBT). The issue was made thornier when the party’s former union minister Pratik Patil met the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Wednesday, leading to whispers in the corridors of power that his brother Vishal, who was seeking a ticket, may jump ship.

The bonhomie displayed by leaders of MVA during the announcement of seats stood compromised on Wednesday as Congress MLA from Sangli district Vishwajeet Kadam, Vishal Patil and other local leaders held a press conference expressing displeasure with MVA’s decision.

“We respect the way Uddhav Thackeray is fighting political opponents, but he should have considered our sentiments. We humbly request MVA leaders to rethink, keeping in mind the party’s strength in Sangli,” said Kadam. He also mentioned how Sena (UBT) had unilaterally declared its candidate; and that since then the party leaders have been trying to convince the state and central leadership that the seat should be contested by Congress – its historical strength.

As the seat was won by BJP’s Sanjaykaka Patil in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Thackeray staked claim on it and announced the candidature of wrestler Chandrahar Patil, a two-time Maharashtra Kesari winner, which upset Congress leaders.

Sena (UBT) does not have MLAs in any of the six assembly segments under the constituency. Congress has two -- Vishwajeet Kadam and Vikramsinh Sawant (Jat constituency) – while NCP (SP) has one MLA —Suman Patil from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal.

Congress won the Lok Sabha elections for a record 16 times from the constituency. While former chief minister and Congress stalwart Vasantdada Patil held the seat for a term, his grandson Pratik Patil won twice -- in 2004 and 2009 – before losing in 2014. Since then BJP has had a winning run.

However, in the last Lok Sabha polls, Vishal Patil, another grandson of the former chief minister, contested as a candidate of Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Paksha and secured over 3.44 lakh votes. “If he contested on a Congress ticket, Patil would have snatched the seat from BJP as anti-incumbency is high against sitting MP Sanjaykaka Patil,” argued a Congress leader, adding, he “would be backed by the entire Congress unit in Sangli”.

They pointed out how Sena (UBT) had to “outsource” Chandrahar Patil only a few weeks ago, in the absence of a viable candidate. Interestingly, Patil had approached VBA before being inducted in Sena (UBT). At the time Ambedkar had assured him support if he had contested the poll as an independent.

The Thackeray-led Sena reasoned that Sangli was the only seat it was contesting from in western Maharashtra. “Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest from Sangli in exchange for Kolhapur from where Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj is contesting as a Congress candidate,” Sanjay Raut, party spokesperson said on March 20.

Meanwhile, despite the kerfuffle among the two alliance partners, Ramesh Chennithala, in-charge of All India Congress Committee in Maharashtra, said it was too late to rethink the seat-share formula. “Shiv Sena (UBT) has given up its sitting seat in Kolhapur. That’s why Congress gave up Sangli. We tried our best to convince them but they remained insistent,” he said, adding Sena (UBT) has agreed to give an additional Rajya Sabha seat from its quota to Congress. “Vishal Patil will be respectably adjusted,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Prakash Ambedkar is hopeful that Vishal Patil will make up his mind soon. “Shiv Sena (UBT) has no strength in Sangli constituency yet they took the seat with the help of NCP (SP). Pratik Patil met me this morning and we discussed issues in detail. I hope that Vishal Patil will take his decision soon,” he said.

(With inputs from Saurabha Kulshreshtha)