Mumbai: After sparking an internal controversy within the Congress and creating ill-feelings among the members of the family of the late Vasantdada Patil, Raju Shetti, member of Parliament (MP) of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), has decided it is not interested in the Sangli Lok Sabha seat.
However, a senior Congress leader from Kolhapur and ex-minister Satej alias Bunty Patil, convinced Shetti to stay with the grand alliance and offered the Shirdi seat in lieu of Sangli. The logjam between the Congress and the SSS over the candidature of the Sangli LS constituency would be resolved in the next two days, said leaders of both parties on Tuesday.
In a protracted meeting between Shetti, and Congress leader Patil, the Congress has reportedly requested Shetti not to break off from the democratic alliance over the Sangli LS seat. According to sources, the Congress is ready to offer Shetti the Shirdi Lok Sabha seat in Ahmednagar district in the event the Sangli issue remained unresolved.
Shetti has already said his party had made an offer to Pratik Patil and his brother Vishal, grandsons of Vasantdatda Patil, to contest the Sangli seat, but the brothers had refused. He made it clear his party was not desirous of the seat at the cost of sparking the infighting in the Congress or creating ill-feelings in Vasantdada Patil’s family.
“We are aware of, and fully respect, the great legacy of Vasantdada Patil. Unfortunately, a completely misleading picture is being painted that the Swabhimani Paksha is responsible for the ‘injustice’ to the scions of the house of the late chief minister,” Shetti said.
He added that the Congress ought to offer him the Sangli seat only if internal discord within the party are satisfactorily resolved. “If we do not get the Sangli seat, the Congress is expected to give us the Shirdi LS seat. We have a candidate, Santosh Roham, who is an influential Ambedkarite leader in Ahmednagar,” said SSS leader Anil Pawar.
