Allies BJP-Sena, Congress-NCP in a fix over candidates for three upcoming bypolls in Maharashtra

Though traditional allies Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena have managed to work out the seat sharing agreement for bypolls for one Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats, the parties have not been able to finalise their candidates.

The last date for the filing nominations is May 10 and the polls will be held on May 28.

On Saturday, Congress announced in Delhi that it has decided to join hands with the NCP for these three bypolls, as well as the biennal polls for six legislative council seats to be held later this month. The All India Congress Committee general secretary and Maharashtra in-charge, Mohan Prakash, said the two parties will join hands to win all three bypolls in the state.

This means that the Congress will leave the Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha constituency for NCP.

Former BJP MP Nana Patole, whose resignation from the Parliament necessitated the Bhandara-Gondia bypoll, met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Saturday. As per the party’s directives, he would support the NCP to ensure that the BJP candidate is defeated, he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress will contest the Lok Sabha seat from Palghar and the Assembly seat from Palus-Kadegaon.The bypolls for these seats were necessitated due to the deaths of sitting legislators Chintaman Wanga (BJP) and Patangrao Kadam (Congress), respectively.

Congress is likely to nominate former minister of state Rajendra Gavit or its former MP Damu Shingada in Palghar. The party’s youth leader Vishwajit Kadam is likely to be the candidate for the Assembly bypolls.

Two days ago, Wanga’s sons, Shrinivas and Praful, with their mother Jayashree, joined the Shiv Sena, alleging that the BJP had neglected them.

“I had invited sons of late Chintaman Wanga days before they joined the Shiv Sena. I have spoken to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray about the bypolls but he said that Sena was not interested in fighting the bypolls. There is no question of considering them as candidates now,” said CM Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday.

The party is now considering state tribal minister, Vishnu Savra, as its bypolls candidate from the Palghar constituency.

In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP will field MLA Charan Waghmare, ex-parliamentarian Shishupal Patale, or former MLA Kushal Bopche.

Interestingly, key leaders from all parties are not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha bypolls, as the term will last nine months before the code of conduct is announced prior to the general elections next year.