 "Cong prefers status quo in first list for Maharashtra")
Fearing large-scale rebellion if it didn’t, the Congress party has by and large preferred status quo while announcing the first list of 13 candidates for the 27 seats it will contest (of the total of 48, the other being contested by the Nationalist Congress Party) in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha polls. This is in contrast to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's desire for bringing new faces, especially youths.
Renominations have been done for stalwarts such as Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in Solapur, Union minister of state for social justice Manikrao Gawit in Nandurbar, former Union minister and seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar in Nagpur, former state minister Eknath Gaikwad in Mumbai South-Central and party general secretary Mukul Wasnik in Ramtek.
Shinde had recently declared he’d retire from elective politics but the high command rejected this, on the grounds that every seat was crucial party. Notwithstanding opposition from local leaders, the party has favoured Gawit, a nine-time MP, to retain its traditional tribal vote bank.
Former state minister and currently MLa from Shirpur, Amrish Patel, gets Dhule. Bhausaheb Waghchaure, who recently left the Shiv Sena, has been nominated from Shirdi (Reserved) in Ahmadnagar district.
It has not announced the choice for Nanded, from where former chief minister Ashok Chavan wishes to contest; he is accused in the Adarsh cooperative housing society scam. It is also yet to decide on the Pune seat, earlier won by Suresh Kalmadi, expelled in connection with the Commonwealth Games scam. Kalmadi is keen for a nomination to his wife, Meera.
The Congress has succeeded in getting Hingoli and Hatkalangale to itself from the NCP’s quota. In return, NCP got Raigad. All India Youth Congress chief Rajiv Satav will be nominated from Hingoli. NCP, which was finding it difficult to find a suitable candidate in Hatkalangale to effectively challenge Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana MP Raju Shetti, decided to leave it for the Congress. Former MP Kalappa Awade will get the Congress ticket here; both are Jains.
Due to the exchange of seats, the Congress will now field 27 candidates and the NCP in 21, against the earlier 26-22 formula.
Renominations have been done for stalwarts such as Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in Solapur, Union minister of state for social justice Manikrao Gawit in Nandurbar, former Union minister and seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar in Nagpur, former state minister Eknath Gaikwad in Mumbai South-Central and party general secretary Mukul Wasnik in Ramtek.
Shinde had recently declared he’d retire from elective politics but the high command rejected this, on the grounds that every seat was crucial party. Notwithstanding opposition from local leaders, the party has favoured Gawit, a nine-time MP, to retain its traditional tribal vote bank.
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Other nominees include Union minister of state for information and technology Milind Deora in Mumbai South, Union minister of state for coal Pratik Patil in Sangli, Sanjay Nirupam in Mumbai North, Gurudas Kamat in Mumbai Northwest, Priya Dutt in Mumbai North Central and Nilesh Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
Former state minister and currently MLa from Shirpur, Amrish Patel, gets Dhule. Bhausaheb Waghchaure, who recently left the Shiv Sena, has been nominated from Shirdi (Reserved) in Ahmadnagar district.
It has not announced the choice for Nanded, from where former chief minister Ashok Chavan wishes to contest; he is accused in the Adarsh cooperative housing society scam. It is also yet to decide on the Pune seat, earlier won by Suresh Kalmadi, expelled in connection with the Commonwealth Games scam. Kalmadi is keen for a nomination to his wife, Meera.
The Congress has succeeded in getting Hingoli and Hatkalangale to itself from the NCP’s quota. In return, NCP got Raigad. All India Youth Congress chief Rajiv Satav will be nominated from Hingoli. NCP, which was finding it difficult to find a suitable candidate in Hatkalangale to effectively challenge Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana MP Raju Shetti, decided to leave it for the Congress. Former MP Kalappa Awade will get the Congress ticket here; both are Jains.
Due to the exchange of seats, the Congress will now field 27 candidates and the NCP in 21, against the earlier 26-22 formula.