Bhujbal Withdraws from Race for Nashik Candidature to End NDA Dispute
Mumbai: Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday announced that he is no more in the race for the NDA’s ticket from the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency. He thanked Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for considering him for the seat, but he decided to withdraw in the interest of the NDA.
Nashik is one of the five seats on which the BJP’s alliance partners in Maharashtra have still not reached any consensus. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has a sitting MP there and it is not ready to give the seat to the NCP.
Shiv Sena MP Hemant Godse has welcomed Mr. Bhujbal’s decision.
Mr. Bhujbal said that during the seat sharing negotiations with alliance partners, NCP chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had claimed the Nashik seat by giving reasons for the greater number of MLAs in the area. He said that he withdrawing his name from the race so that tension would not prevail in the alliance and the opposition alliance MVA does not get an edge.
Mr. Bhujbal,l said that the discussion over his candidacy began in the Holi festival. “On the instruction of Ajit Pawar, I went to the Devagiri bungalow, (the official residence of Ajit Pawar) on Holi. Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were there. They informed me about the seat sharing negotiations, which had taken place in New Delhi. In that meeting, Ajit Pawar sought Nashik Lok Sabha seat. When BJP leaders asked Ajit Pawar who is your candidate, he suggested Sameer Bhujbal’s name. On this, Amit Shah suggested to give candidature to me,” he said.
The senior NCP leader claimed that he never demanded Nashik seat. But the BJP leadership insisted that he contest from Nashik.
Mr. Bhujbal further said that the party did not announce his candidature despite the passing of three weeks. While the MVA candidate has already started campaigning for the Nashik Lok Sabha seat, we have not announced our candidate, he said.
“The decision on the Nashik Lok Sabha seat should be taken as soon as possible,” he said.
The filing of nomination will start from April 26.
