 "Congress withdraws its nominee from by-poll to Maharashtra Legislative Council")
Joshi confirmed the party's decision saying that he had withdrawn his nomination and obeyed the party's instructions.
Joshi’s exit would pave the way for the election of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state unit chief and former minister Sunil Tatkare to the state council. Tatkare had resigned as the member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Had Joshi not resigned, the polling was slated for August 21.
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State Congress leaders had taken quite an aggressive stand against NCP's decision to field Tatkare in the by -poll necessitated after the resignation of Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut who was elected to the Lok Sabha. The Congress had staked its claim citing that party nominee Sudhakar Gangange had lost the seat in the last election held about two years ago.
The Congress had argued that it had 82 members in the state Assembly and support from 12 independents against the NCP's strength of 62 members and support from 12 independents. Incidentally, the opposition Shiv Sena-BJP decided not to field its nominee.
Congress leaders, who had gathered on Wednesday evening here, were unanimous that the party should not succumb to NCP's pressure tactics and should not withdraw Joshi from the by-poll. Furthermore, they had also made a strong case for the Congress going solo by contesting all 288 Assembly seats by breaking its alliance with NCP in the coming Assembly poll slated for October.
However, NCP had contested the Congress claim saying that no formal discussion had taken place between the two and the NCP could not be barred from entering into the fray. Additionally, NCP also underlined that Congress had fielded its candidate in the by-election which took place in the past after its member was disqualified in the state council. According to NCP, Tatkare was nominated to contest the by-poll as he would be travelling across the state during the forthcoming election to the state Assembly.
Reacting to Thursday’s development, a senior Congress minister said, “The party has not fully surrendered to the NCP but it was done in the larger interest to maintain the alliance of secular parties, especially during the coming Assembly poll.”
NCP spokesman Nawab Malik welcomed the Congress’ decision to withdraw its nominee saying that his party would remain with the Congress to keep the communal forces at bay. He informed that party president Sharad Pawar and senior leader Praful Patel would hold talks with Congress leaders on August 19 on seat sharing while state leaders would meet in Mumbai on August 20.