Nana Patole agrees to contest Bhandara-Gondia seat
The byelection is the result of his exit from the BJP and resignation from Parliament after moving over to the Congress party.
Mumbai: Congress leader Mr Nana Patole appears to have reluctantly given in to pressure and declared he is ready to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha byelection to the Bhandara-Gondia seat that he won in 2014 on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket.
The byelection is the result of his exit from the BJP and resignation from Parliament after moving over to the Congress party.
As per a formula being discussed, Mr Patole could leave the seat for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel in the 2019 general election and stand for the assembly election, sources said. A decision on the candidature of Mr Patole, who had defeated Mr Patel in the last election, will be taken after discussions between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
“The differences between me and Praful Patel are over now. Whomsoever will be the candidate here, we will be helping each other,” said Mr Patole. When asked whether he is ready to contest the election, Mr Patole said, “I will go as per the party decision. If the party asked me to contest then I am ready.”
Meanwhile, Mr Patel has also reacted to the discussions. “It will be cleared in the next two days that who will contest the bypoll. But it is sure that I will contest in 2019 Lok Sabha election,” said Mr Patel hinting at an agreement between him and Mr Patole.
Mr Patole, according to sources, was reluctant to contest the byelection and is more interested in the assembly seat. But, sources said, he is not keen on contesting here as the general elections are due in 2019. So, Mr Patole is the choice for the Congress if the seat falls on its lap.
There is speculation that the Congress is trying to convince NCP to contest Bhandara-Gondia. May 9 is the last date of filing nominations for these by-elections.