Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 'NCP (SP) To Contest From Satara Constituency', Says Congress Leader Prithiviraj Chavan

Former chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said the Satara Lok Sabha seat has gone to the NCP (SP) in the seat-sharing of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the allies will stand by the candidate the party fields.

The MVA comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Chavan's Statement On Satara's Political Landscape In Maharashtra

Sitting NCP MP Srinivas Patil, who had defeated BJP Rajya Sabha member Udayanraje Bhosale in a byelection in 2019, has declined to contest due to health issues.

“The picture of Satara LS constituency is clear. In the seat-sharing process, the seat has gone to the NCP (SP) and we all will rally behind the candidate it decides to field,” Chavan told a regional news channel.

Satara is the “karma bhumi” of Maharashtra’s first chief minister, Yashwantrao Chavan, and the ideologies of social reformers Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Shahu Maharaj originated here, he said.

“There is no room for communal ideologies in Satara. No MP with communal ideology has been successful here in the past, and we will not let such elements be successful. It is now up to the NCP (SP) to field its candidate,” the Congress leader said.

Political Discussions and Strategies For Satara Seat In Maharashtra

Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil had on Sunday met Chavan at the latter’s residence in Karad in Satara.

Asked about speculations about his name being brought up for the Satara seat, Chavan said during his meeting with Patil, it was decided that the MVA constituents would ensure the victory of whoever the NCP (SP) fields.

Chavan represented Satara in Parliament in the 1990s but was defeated by Shrinivas Patil in 1999 after Sharad Pawar walked out of the Congress and formed the Nationalist Congress Party.The NCP has since fielded candidates from Satara.

Political Rivalries And Alliances In Maharashtra

Interestingly, Chavan and Pawar are old political foes. In the past efforts were made by the NCP to topple Chavan from Karad. Similarly, Chavan had also opened up the irrigation scam of Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Sadan scam of Chhagan Bhubal when he was chief minister of Maharashtra.

“No one is a permanent enemy or friend in politics. [Shiv Sen (UBT) chief] Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar used to criticise each other till 2019 but, thereafter they came together,” political analyst Abhay Deshpande told The Free Press Journal.

The enmity between the Pawar family and Chavan family is many decades old. Even the parents of Chavan did not have good political relations with Pawar.