Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Even as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Friday tried to dissuade Vijay Shivtare, a senior leader of his Sena faction, from contesting the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, Mr. Shivtare remained firm on entering the poll fray as an Independent.
A former Minister and two-term legislator from Purandar (in Baramati), Mr. Shivtare refused to cooperate with his ally, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has staked its all on winning the Baramati seat – the bastion of the Pawar clan.
Mr. Shivtare, along with his supporters, met Mr. Shinde for more than an hour at the latter’s ‘Nandanvan’ residence in Mumbai, where the Chief Minister attempted to pacify the restive party leader.
“Vijay Shivtare and his followers met me today. I impressed upon him that we have a ‘Mahayuti’ alliance in the State and that all three parties [Shinde Sena, the BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP] will have to work for whosoever is declared the candidate for the Baramati seat. We have to focus on our mission of winning 45 of the 48 seats and we must keep our differences aside,” Mr. Shinde said, remarking that the three allies had taken a resolution to make the Mahayuti victorious in the State with the maximum number of seats.
It is widely believed that Ajit Pawar will field his wife, Sunetra, as the Mahayuti’s candidate to take on the incumbent Baramati MP, Supriya Sule (Sharad Pawar’s daughter).
Following his meeting with Mr. Shinde, Mr. Shivtare showed no signs of backing down and remained adamant about contesting as an Independent.
“PM Modi has called for the elimination of dynastic politics in the country. So, I am going to contest in keeping with PM Modi’s vision and end the yoke of the Pawar dynasty in Baramati. Why should we vote for Sunetra Pawar? Just because she is Ajit Pawar’s wife? What is her contribution towards Baramati? Tomorrow we will be asked to vote for Ajit Pawar’s peon. Are we supposed to comply just because we have an alliance?” he said.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar, who held a rally in Purandar on Friday, took a veiled swipe at the Shinde Sena leader by wryly quipping: “After seeing the massive crowds at my rallies, I wonder who would have the courage to file his nomination against us.”
Interestingly, Ms. Sule refrained from criticising Mr. Shivtare.
On the Shinde camp leader planning to contest as an Independent, she said: “This is a democracy. Everyone can contest the election. This is not a dictatorship. In fact, I welcome whosoever contests against me.”
Earlier, Mr. Shivtare had alleged that the Pawar clan had only focused on the development of the Baramati Assembly segment to the exclusion of the five other Assembly segments in the Baramati Lok Sabha area.