Sambhaji Chhatrapati RS ticket row: Somebody misguided Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, says Fadnavis

Nagpur: Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj’s recent statements over his son Sambhaji Chhatrapti’s Rajya Sabha re-nomination fiasco were a result of ‘someone misguiding’ the senior Kolhapur royal family member. Some regional news channels aired a video clip of Chhatrapti Sahu saying that his son’s decision to enter the fray as an independent candidate “may have been” taken after a meeting with Fadnavis.
“Maybe he (Sambhaji) was told that as an independent it will be easier for all parties to support his candidature,” Chhatrapati Shahu is heard saying in the video. Later on Saturday his son Sambhaji tweeted in Marathi saying, “I respect my father a lot and do not wish to say anything regarding his statements.” Sambhaji has now withdrawn from the Rajya Sabha nomination race.
In the context of all this, Fadnavis was asked by the media on the sideline of a public event in Nagpur for his reaction. He said, “When Sambhaji met me he had already decided to contest as an independent. He was seeking support from all political parties. I told him categorically that if every party supports him, then we may also join. But I added that this decision is not in my hands as the final say will be of our high command.”
After withdrawing his nomination, Sambhaji held a press conference saying that he was ‘hurt’ as chief minister Uddhav Thackeray went back on his promise of supporting his candidature. But his father did not seem to agree as in the video clip Chhatrapti Shahu is heard saying, “We can’t say (CM) went back on his word. There was never any formal agreement or discussion, so no question of going back.” He also added that not supporting his son’s candidature was not an ‘insult to the royal family’. Chhatrapti Shahu said, “This is all politics. No question of the royal family getting involved, hence no insult.”
Fadnavis said some people were trying to misguide the senior royal member. “Some people have provided him with incorrect information. And those people are also trying to paint a picture that there is a difference of opinion between father and son,” said Fadnavis.
On Sunday evening, BJP released its list of RS nominees. From Maharashtra, Piyush Goyal and former MLA from Amravati district Anil Bonde were nominated.