Will decline NCP’s offer of seat on MLC, says Raju Shetti

Shetti said he was doing this to prevent a possible split in the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana

Raju Shetti, leader of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, on Thursday stated that he will decline the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) offer of one seat on the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC).

Raju Shetti had, on Tuesday, visited NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s house in Baramati and accepted the offer of the MLC seat for himself. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Shetti said he was doing this to prevent a possible split in the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana.

Shetti had, on Tuesday, visited NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s house in Baramati and accepted the offer of the MLC seat for himself.

The move disappointed two SSS leaders, who themselves were hoping to gain a berth in the legislative council.

“If someone is getting hurt because of my accepting the council offer, then I better reject it. After all, for me, keeping the SSS intact is more important,” Shetti said.

Earlier, Jalinder Patil, SSS state unit president, expressed his displeasure that Shetti chose to keep the NCP’s council seat offer for himself.

There are currently 12 seats vacant from the governor’s quota. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is plans to fill these as soon as possible.

For Shetti, a former two-time MP from Hatkanangale in Kolhapur, accepting a seat from the NCP quota comes after he had joined hands with the Congress-NCP alliance just before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, after breaking away from BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).