Days after his unilateral move to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the Baramati seat in Maharashtra as an Independent candidate caused a flutter in the BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena alliance, Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare on Monday met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Even as Shinde tried to persuade Shivtare to withdraw from the fray, the latter didn't give him any assurance, PTI reported.
Shivtare said he would not decide about his future step immediately. "I told Shinde that I needed to meet my supporters and discuss the matter with them. I will not decide anything right now," he added.
The development comes amid speculations that NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar is most likely to be the candidate from Baramati against her sister-in-law and sitting MP Supriya Sule.
The BJP, Shiv Sena, and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar are constituents of the Mahayuti combine in Maharashtra.I told Shinde that I have received a huge support of people to contest the Lok Sabha elections against the Pawars, the former MLA told reporters.
Of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, the electoral battle in Baramati will be the most keenly watched one in the ensuing elections.
Baramati has always backed NCP founder Sharad Pawar and his family over the last five decades.
However, in this election, the NCP is divided into two camps, one lead by Sharad Pawar and the other led by his nephew Ajit Pawar, who rebelled against the elder Pawar and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state as deputy chief minister.
Supriya Sule, the present three-term MP and Sharad Pawar’s daughter, is facing a challenge from Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra, making for a riveting high-stakes contest within the prominent political family.
Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. Counting of votes will be held on June 4.