Pune by-polls: Disorderliness between NCP & Congress as both parties announce candidates

Pune: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced an embarrassment on Tuesday following rebellion in the ranks of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The dispute centred around the February 26 bye-elections to the Kasba and Chinchwad assembly seats which were necessitated due to the death of sitting MLAs Mukta Tilak of the BJP and Laxman Jagtap of the NCP. 

No coordination between two parties

In Kasba senior Congress leader Balasaheb Dhabekar revolted and filed his nomination as an independent candidate, while in Chinchwad, Rahul Kalate defied NCP leadership and filed his nomination as an independent candidate. Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations. The announcement comes days after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he had requested NCP president Sharad Pawar and leaders of the Congress to honour the political tradition in the state to ensure unopposed bypolls to seats falling vacant due to the death of sitting lawmakers. 

Feb 26 by-polls

The byelections are scheduled for February 26. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday said if the Congress assures that the Kasba Assembly bypoll will be unopposed in the event of BJP nominating a member of late MLA Mukta Tilak's family, then the saffron party will make its official candidate withdraw from the fray.Eyebrows were raised over BJP giving a ticket to local leader Rasne, even as Mukta Tilak's husband said his family members would have completed her work if given a ticket.Tuesday is the last day for filing the nominations. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is February 10. Votes will be counted on March 2.