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Harshvardhan relents; will Shivtare’s rebellion dent Sunetra’s chances in Baramati?
While Harshvardhan Patil has decided to support Ajit Pawar, Sena member Vijay Shivtare’s decision to contest LS polls does not augur well for NCP candidate Sunetra Pawar in Baramati
Pune: Even as Harshvardhan Patil, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Indapur, has relented from his hostile stand on Ajit Pawar after meeting Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Wednesday, Shiv Sena member Vijay Shivtare’s decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls does not augur well for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Sunetra Pawar in Baramati.
Patil said the discussion with Fadnavis, on the local political situation and the resentment among his supporters against the NCP, was positive and he will work towards making Narendra Modi return as the prime minister for the third term.
“I was called for discussion on Lok Sabha polls across western Maharashtra, including Baramati. I conveyed to Fadnavis about the workers’ stand. The meet was positive, and Fadnavis has assured us to find a way to form the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre,” said Patil, a known detractor of Ajit in Indapur.
Patil had last month written to Fadnavis alleging threats received from members of the alliance partner. While Patil did not name anyone, he was pointing fingers at the NCP.
Patil’s resentment would have cost the NCP dearly as Ajit is set to field his wife Sunetra. Earlier last month, Patil’s daughter, Ankita Patil-Thackeray, who is keen to contest the assembly polls from Indapur, had said that if the Ajit-led NCP assures them help during the assembly elections later this year, then only the family will campaign for them. Ajit had then chosen not to react saying, “Young generation can say anything, but actual decisions will be taken by seniors in the party”.
To address the disappointment at the local level, Fadnavis called a meeting and spoke at length with Harshvardhan and Ankita.
“There were some issues that Patil raised and I have assured them to resolve it. Patil has been a loyal BJP leader working to expand the party. We will resolve all the issues he spoke about,” the deputy chief minister said after meeting the duo.
However, despite repeated attempts by chief minister Eknath Shinde, Shivtare has not budged and, on Wednesday, visited Bhor to meet Anantrao Thopte, a Congress leader and known detractor of Sharad Pawar.
According to Shivtare, there are around 5 lakh voters against the Pawar family in the Baramati constituency, which he is trying to garner as an independent candidate.
“I sought Thopte’s support as the Pawar family has troubled him as well. If there are over six lakh votes considered to be pro-Pawars, they will get divided between Supriya Sule and Sunetra Pawar. At the same time, there are over five lakh votes not in favour of Pawars, and I am trying to seek them,” Shivtare said.
After meeting Shivtare, Thopte, whose son Sangram is the sitting Congress MLA from Bhor, said that he has still not made up his mind on whom to support in the polls.
“Sharad Pawar has previously opposed me, but now the next generation is fighting polls. On the one hand, there is Supriya Sule and on the other, Ajit’s wife Sunetra Pawar will be contesting polls. I have yet to decide on whom to support,” said 91-year-old Thopte. Earlier this week, after his stand against Ajit, Shinde had called Shivtare at his residence and instructed him not to make any statement which will affect the Mahayuti alliance.
Shivtare said, “I had forgotten the insult inflicted by Ajit Pawar. But my supporters and voters are not ready to forgive it. Ajit said that he would defeat me, and I am nobody.”
Alliance upset
Supporters of Ajit’s NCP from Maval Lok Sabha constituency had threatened the Shiv Sena of working against its candidate if Vijay Shivtare doesn’t relent his stand. A statement released by them stated: “If Shivtare doesn’t not stop criticising Ajit Pawar, they will work against Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and its candidate Shrirang Barne in Maval.”
