Senior BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Thursday night called on Union minister Ramdas Athawale and sought his support for securing victory in Shirdi and Ahmednagar South Lok Sabha constituencies for the ruling Mahayuti alliance, sources said.
Sadashiv Lokhande of the ruling Shiv Sena is pitted against Bhausaheb Wakhchaure of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in Shirdi, while in Ahmednagar South, Sujay Vikhe Patil is the BJP nominee against Nilesh Lanke of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
District and taluka office-bearers of the Athawale-led RPI (A) from the two constituencies were present at the closed-door meeting held at the Union minister's Mumbai residence. The sources told PTI that Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is the Mahayuti in-charge of Shirdi and Ahmednagar South and is entrusted with the task of getting both seats in the BJP-led alliance's kitty.
Sujay Vikhe Patil, the son of Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, is the sitting MP from Ahmednagar South. Athawale, a BJP ally, had sought the Shirdi seat for himself and was unhappy that he wasn't consulted on naming the candidate. The sources said Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil sought the cooperation of Athawale's supporters in the two constituencies to ensure the victory of the Mahayuti nominees.
The RPI (A) has pockets of influence in the two seats. The Mahayuti alliance consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena, and the NCP.
