After NCP stakes claim over Pune LS seat, Cong asks for Baramati in exchange
Although Pune LS seat has traditionally been with the Congress, this time, the NCP has staked its claim even as the announcement of by-polls is yet to be made by EC
PUNE: The local units of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress are at loggerheads over the Pune Lok Sabha (LS) seat which fell vacant due to the demise of veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Girish Bapat. Although the seat has traditionally been with the Congress, this time, the NCP has staked its claim even as the announcement of by-polls is yet to be made by the Election Commission (EC). Interestingly, after the NCP staking its claim over the Pune LS seat, the Congress has, in exchange, asked for the Baramati LS seat, known to be represented by the family of NCP chief Sharad Pawar with Supriya Sule being the current member of Parliament (MP).
There are chances that Pune may face by-polls within the next six months to fill the Pune LS seat as it is mandated upon the EC to hold the process under section 151 of the Representation of People Act, 1951. As per the law, the by-polls should be held within six months of the date of occurrence of the vacancy. However, even before the announcement of the by-polls, NCP workers from the city have put up banners in some parts demanding that the seat be allotted to the NCP with party city unit president Prashant Jagtap as candidate. The NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena are partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The alliance has already decided to contest the LS and assembly polls together.
NCP city unit president Jagtap said, “Party workers have made such a demand but it is not the party’s official stand. The NCP has a strong base in the Pune LS seat. We had even more members than the Congress in the Pune Municipal Corporation’s last general body. Considering this, the demand is coming from workers even as we are alliance partners in the MVA. The decision will be taken at the higher level but if the party gives me a chance, I am ready to contest the by-polls.”
Since 2014, the Pune LS seat has been represented by the BJP. Between 2014 and 2019, it was represented in the LS by Anil Shirole and from 2019, Bapat represented it.
Reacting to the workers’ demand, NCP state unit president Jayant Patil said, “Jagtap is a good leader and if he is getting a chance for the LS seat, it is good.”
Despite the NCP having partnered the Congress and Shiv Sena for the MVA, NCP’s demand has created unrest amongst the Congress workers. So much so that after the NCP workers’ demand, the Congress workers are now running a campaign on social media and have staked a claim on the Baramati LS seat (in exchange for the Pune LS seat).
Congress city unit president Arvind Shinde said, “Recently, NCP leader Ajit Pawar slammed the party workers and alliance partners for starting an early discussion on the LS election. Even NCP leader Sharad Pawar mentioned many times that the Pune district has four LS seats and all seats cannot remain with the NCP. Yet, the NCP has now put forward such a demand. While the Pune LS is with the Congress as part of the seat-sharing plan, the other three seats namely Shirur, Baramati and Maval are with the NCP.”
Shinde said that the NCP workers must respect their leader’s opinion first. One of the Congress leaders on condition of anonymity said that the NCP’s demand is nothing but an attempt to put pressure on the Congress for getting more seats in the PMC.
