Chandrakant Patil has dismissed all such rumours, claiming he is getting wholehearted support from BJP workers as well as citizens during all his meetings
Pune: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil, who is contesting the 2019 Assembly election, is up against united opposition from Pune’s Kothrud seat, and it will be interesting to see how he takes up the challenges.
Patil is considered no. 2 in the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet. He will contest from the Kothrud seat in Pune. However, he is also facing the tag of being an “outsider” since he hails from Kolhapur. BJP has a stronghold in the Kothrud area and as it is one of most upmarket residential and commercial areas in the city,
The brahmin community also claimed that denial of ticket to sitting MLA Medha Kulkarni was a slight to the community. The 60-year-old representing Maratha community and MLC dismissed such concerns, claiming his meetings with various sections of people in the constituency indicate that the wind is blowing in the party and his favour.
Chandrakant Patil said that “I am not an outsider for Pune, and for Kothrud. I’ve been associated with Pune as a guardian minister and have been active in the city since my days in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (BJP’s student’s wing). The people of the constituency will not consider me an outsider,”.
Backing of Congress and NCP to MNS candidate:
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has fielded Kishor Shinde against Patil. Kishore Shinde said the state BJP chief’s candidature from Kothrud is an injustice to sitting MLA Medha Kulkarni and BJP leaders like Murlidhar Mohol, who nurtured the seat for five years. Shinde is claiming that he would send Patil back to hometown Kolhapur.
Surprisingly, he also has the backing of the opposition Congress and NCP. As he filed nomination from the seat, the Congress and NCP alliance decided to back him instead of fielding a separate candidate. He is even confident of emerging as a “giant killer”.
Thane, Nashik Quid-pro-quo between NCP-MNS:
In Thane a few days back NCP fielded its candidate against BJP but later on, it withdrew the name and MNS’s Avinash Jadhav was declared to contest against BJP’s Suhas Kelkar.
Another case Nashik has also seen changes in candidature. Earlier MNS was going to contest against BJP but later on, MNS withdrew its candidate and suddenly NCP’ Balasaheb Sanap was finalized as its candidate against BJP’s Rahul Dhekle.
All these candidates are game-changers in assembly polls. Certainly the battle is between BJP v/s NCP, Congress and MNS. The state elections will be held in a single phase on October 21 and counting of votes will take place on October 24.
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