The fight for the Pune graduate constituency seat in the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council polls has all the makings of a classic political soap opera.
While nominally a contest between the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the battle is replete with inter-and intra-party bickering and the spectre of defection.
While Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced the nomination of sugar baron Arun Lad, the BJP named Sangram Deshmukh. Interestingly, the Sangli-based Mr. Lad, who is the president of the Kranti Co-operative Sugar Factory, was responsible for the NCP’s defeat in the last Pune graduate constituency election when he raised the banner of rebellion.
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Adding to the confusion is the incumbent MLC of the Pune graduate constituency seat, Dattatray Sawant. On Thursday, Mr. Sawant, who reportedly met with the NCP chief in Baramati, said he had sought Mr. Pawar’s blessings to file his nomination for the seat.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s problems have been compounded after the Sadabhau Khot-led Rayat Kranti Sanghatana, a BJP ally, put forward its own candidate as the deadline for filing nominations ended on Thursday, making the fight a three-way contest.
Mr. Khot, an estranged former associate of farmer leader and Swabhimani Paksha chief Raju Shetti, is now reportedly disgruntled with the BJP and has put forward his own candidate, Kolhapur-based educationist N.D. Chougule, who filed his nomination on Thursday.
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A couple of days earlier, friction within the tripartite MVA emerged after the Shiv Sena raised eyebrows by picking four aspirants for the seat. However, no candidate filed his nomination, letting the NCP, which considers itself the traditional contestant in this seat, to step into the poll arena.
The Pune graduate constituency seat is notable for being held in the past by BJP State president Chandrakant Patil, who is currently the MLA from Kothrud in Pune.