It is said the NCP chief shelved the plan, because of unrest among the supporters of sitting MP Vijaysinh Mohite Patil
Sharad Pawar also said that party workers demanded he contest, but the party has not announced his candidature from Madha yet. File pic
The much-awaited comeback of Sharad Pawar to the Lok Sabha electoral fray, has been nipped in the bud, by the Nationalist Congress Party boss himself. If sources close to him are to be believed, then Pawar has shelved the plan of contesting polls from Madha which he had represented a decade ago, because of unrest among the supporters of sitting MP Vijaysinh Mohite Patil.
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As he pulled out of the contest, Pawar declared that his grandson, Parth, would be NCP's candidate from Maval, because the party workers and alliance partners wanted him there. Later he said that the party workers demanded he contest but the party has not announced his candidature from Madha yet.
The NCP leaders said Pawar was unwilling to contest and has told Mohite Patil to retain the seat instead. Pawar had announced earlier that he would return to Madha, primarily because he wanted to quell infighting in the NCP's local unit.
Another reason given for Pawar's withdrawal is that his grandson Parth (Ajit Pawar's son), has been cleared for Maval constituency, and with the generation next in the field, there would have been three members of the first family contesting polls from Madha: Pawar, Maval: Parth and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, Baramati.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, "Pawar's withdrawal from Madha is a big victory for the BJP-Sena alliance. I think he has understood well in which direction the (political) wind is flowing."
Sources said the Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti, who quit NDA to be with the Congress-led opposition, has demanded two more seats. According to Shetti's aide, their party will contest 15 seats separately if they are not given Buldhana and Wardha.
Also Read: Lok Sabha poll: Sharad Pawar's re-entry into poll fray to be watched keenly
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