Mumbai: Following Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil’s announcement that he will not campaign for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the Ahmednagar constituency, corporators owing allegiance to him in the Ahmednagar municipal corporation are likely to follow suit.
They are likely to support Radhakrishna’s son Sujay Vikhe-Patil, who will be contesting as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the seat.
Sujay had announced earlier this year that he would be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls whether or not the Congress offered him a ticket. After the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) refused to allot the seat to the Congress, he switched his loyalties to the BJP. His decision caused major embarrassment to the Congress.
The Congress and the NCP have formed an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls. However, following Sujay’s move, Radhakrishna announced that he would not campaign for the ally saying that he was hurt by the comments made by NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
The powerful Vikhe-Patil family wields a lot of influence in the Ahmednagar district. In the Ahmednagar municipal corporation too, the entire group of Congress corporators is said to be belonging to the Vikhe-Patil group.
“We will also not work for the NCP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. We will support Sujay, even though he is contesting as a BJP candidate. An injustice has been done to him,” said one Congress corporator on condition of anonymity.
The NCP however has not announced the name of its candidate for the Ahmednagar constituency. According to sources, senior leader and Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Arun Jagtap is likely to be party’s nominee for the seat.
The party leadership is also considering the names of Anuradha Nagawade, Congress zilla parishad member from Srigonda, by inducting her into the party or Prashant Gadakh, the son of former Congress MLA Yashwantrao Gadakh, who is close to the NCP chief.
