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Shiv Sena (UBT) announces candidate from Sangola despite PWP claiming seat
The power struggle between allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) over Sangola assembly constituency has intensified with both claiming ticket
PUNE The power struggle between allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) over Sangola assembly constituency has intensified with Sena (UBT) on Wednesday announcing the candidature of Deepak Aba Salunkhe from Sangola amid PWP also claiming the seat and wanting to field Babasaheb Deshmukh from there.
Part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the PWP has claimed six seats including Sangola from Solapur district. Sangola is a PWP stronghold with late Ganpatrao Deshmukh having been elected 11 times from there.
After the death of Ganpatrao Deshmukh, Shiv Sena’s Shahaji Bapu Patil won the 2019 election by defeating Aniket Deshmukh, grandson of Ganpatrao Deshmukh. Now, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) which is part of the Mahayuti, has renominated Patil from Sangola. But as far as the MVA is concerned, Shiv Sena (UBT) is not ready to cede Sangola to PWP. Last week, Salunkhe left the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined Shiv Sena (UBT). On Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) announced a list of 65 candidates including Salunkhe from the Sangola seat. With PWP having announced its first list of six candidates including Deshmukh from Sangola a day before on Tuesday, this has created tension among the MVA alliance partners.
Salunkhe claimed that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray called him on Wednesday and handed over AB forms with his name to party office-bearers from Sangola. “I am very thankful to all my senior party leaders. I have been working in Sangola for the last 30 years. Last year, I worked for Patil but the alliance seat went to Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and Patil got another chance. Hence, I left the NCP and joined Shiv Sena (UBT),” Salunkhe said.
On Wednesday, it was confirmed that the three main MVA alliance partners – Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) – would contest 85 seats each with smaller parties in the alliance contesting the remaining seats.
Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) said, “We have finalised 255 seats out of the 288-member state assembly, and the distribution of the remaining seats will take place soon. I want to stress that there are no differences within the MVA; everything has been resolved amicably.”
In the midst of seat-sharing discussions with smaller parties like PWP claiming the Sangola seat, Raut assured that corrections would be carried out. “We are also committed to accommodating our smaller allies. We will meet with them on Thursday to address the remaining seat-sharing issues. Some seat-swapping will take place amicably. There’s no need for concern regarding the MVA’s late announcement on seat-sharing,” Raut said.
PWP has claimed six assembly seats of which four are from Raigad district (Alibaug, Pen, Panvel and Uran) and one each from Solapur (Sangola) and Nanded (Loha Kandhar) districts. The announcement was made during a press conference on Tuesday wherein party leaders reiterated their commitment to representing the interests of farmers and workers in these regions. Each of the six candidates were introduced, highlighting their backgrounds and the issues they aim to address.
According to PWP officials, Chitralekha Patil will contest from Alibaug, Atul Mhatre from Pen, Balaram Patil from Panvel, Pritam Mhatre from Uran, Babasaheb Deshmukh from Sangola, and Shyamsundar Shinde from Loha Kandar.
Last week, Jayant Patil, general secretary, PWP, met NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to seek assembly seats that have historically been PWP strongholds namely Alibaug, Pen, Uran and Panvel from the MVA quota. Thereafter on Tuesday, he announced the candidature of Balaram Patil from Panvel at Shetkari Bhavan, Alibaug.
Jayant Patil said, “Four seats from the Raigad district are traditionally with our party. Hence in the meeting with Sharad Pawar, I requested him that these seats be allocated to us as we are also part of the MVA.”
“Yes, there is discussion regarding some seats but we are confident that something positive will come out,” Jayant Patil said.
As far as the Sangola seat is concerned, there was disagreement over it in late Ganpatrao Deshmukh’s family. His two grandsons Babasaheb Deshmukh and Aniket Deshmukh were seeking a ticket from PWP. Finally, their grandmother intervened and it was decided that Babasaheb Deshmukh would contest from the Sangola seat.
