A day after the announcement of his candidature triggered a storm, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ashok Chavan, an accused in the Adarsh scam case, filed his nomination for the Nanded Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday. He was accompanied by PCC president Manikrao Thakre, who has been among his most vocal supporters, and his wife Amita Chavan.
Asked about the impact of the scam on the poll, Mr. Chavan told reporters: “The public will decide the outcome of this election, not the media.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had to field uncomfortable questions about the nomination. “It was the choice of the Congress central election committee,” he told journalists in Pune.
Sources say Mr. Prithviraj Chavan strongly opposed the choice, arguing that it would deal a blow to the party’s image. However, others like Mr. Thakre said Mr. Ashok Chavan was a winnable candidate and the party did not have strong leaders in the Marathwada region after the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh.
His supporters also made a distinction between Suresh Kalmadi, who was arrested in connection with the CWG scam, and Mr. Chavan, who has not been prosecuted yet.
