Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole speaking at the extended executive meeting organized by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee in Nagpur. , Photo Credit: ANI
A day after his candidature for the Nashik graduates’ constituency election, Dr Sudhir Tambe withdrew his nomination at the eleventh hour to make way for his son Satyajit Tambe, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole clarified on Friday. Told that the party would not support Shri. Satyajit’s candidature, accusing both father and son of “betraying the party”.
“The Congress will not support a rebel candidate. We had given candidature to Dr. Tambe. But by not filing his nomination, he has cheated the party… We have submitted a full report of this to the party high command, and they will now decide what further action to take against Tambe,” said Mr. Patole.
Already beset by fierce factionalism, the state Congress unit on Thursday suffered a major embarrassment when Dr Tambe withdrew his nomination defying the party high command just before the 3 pm deadline. His son, Mr. Satyajit – former Maharashtra Youth Congress President – had announced his candidature as an independent candidate for the upcoming Nashik graduate constituency election as part of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) election.
Mr. Satyajit insisted that even though he is contesting as an independent, he should be considered as the candidate of the Congress and the opposition’s ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA). He said he had to file nomination papers as an independent as the ‘AB’ form could not reach him due to “technical reason”.
The Nashik seat was allotted to the Congress as per a mutual agreement between the MVA partners (NCP, Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction).
Senior Congress leader and nephew of former Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat, Mr. Satyajit said he was going to approach every party, including the BJP, to support his candidature.
His statement raised eyebrows, pointing to a major divide not only within the Congress but also between Tambe and Mr. Thorat, while fueling speculation about Mr. Satyajit’s intention to join the BJP and efforts by the latter party to woo him .
Asserting that the withdrawal of Dr. Sudhir and the announcement of Mr. Satyajit in his place was “a well-planned affair”, Mr. Patole hinted at the BJP being behind the move, as the saffron party did not field any candidate. was lowered
“The way the BJP has ensured that its own candidates do not file nominations and only our rebel candidates do, it proves that everything was well planned,” he said. Today BJP is having fun by creating divisions in other parties, but one day it will also benefit when its house will also be broken like this.
Commenting on the issue, former chief minister and senior Congressman Ashok Chavan said the matter was certainly “serious” and had caused damage to the party.
In December last year, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis attended Mr. Satyajit’s book launch, ever since speculations were rife about Mr. Satyajit’s growing affinity for the BJP. Sri Satyajit translated the book by Gavin Newsom and Lisa Dickey Citizenville in Marathi, and the launch was a well attended event.
When Mr. Fadnavis was asked whether the BJP had anything to do with the announcement of Mr. Satyajit as an independent candidate, he said: “We [the BJP] No equation has been created… there is nothing unusual in attending each other’s social programs despite being in different parties.
Reacting vaguely to Mr Satyajit ‘joining’ the BJP in the future, Mr Fadnavis, speaking in Pune, said: “The work of Satyajit Tambe as a youth leader has certainly been very good… But political decision-making Will happen at the appropriate time and we will take such a decision at the appropriate time.”
He refuted suggestions of the BJP deliberately not fielding a candidate from the Nashik graduate constituency to allow Mr. Satyajit to file his nomination.
The term of five MLC members expiring on February 7, including two graduates and three from teachers’ constituencies, will go to polls on January 30.