Parvati in Pune is all set to witness a triangular fight as rebel Congress leader Aba Bagul refused to withdraw his nomination for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls. Bagul will be contesting as an independent, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has officially nominated NCP-SP leader Ashwini Kadam against BJP's sitting MLA Madhuri Misal. BJP's Shrinath Bhimale was also determined to contest the polls. However, he withdrew from the race following the intervention of top party leaders.
Speaking to the media, Bagul stated that his fight was against the BJP and that Congress leaders should support him. He said, "Despite contesting as an independent candidate, I am fighting for the Congress... My fight is against the BJP... I request Congress's top leadership to support me in my fight against the BJP here... The NCP-SP candidate who got the ticket from MVA has lost thrice on this seat... Despite this fact, I fail to understand why she was repeated... I have a lot of support from local people... They wanted me to contest in this Assembly election, therefore I am contesting..."
"I have been allotted the symbol of 'Diamond' by the Election Commission, and I am sure I will make the Parvati Assembly like a diamond... People are with me; I will register a victory," he added.
In July, Bagul met NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar and requested him to give the Parvati constituency to the Congress as part of the seat-sharing arrangement. However, this did not materialise, and Bagul decided to contest as an independent.
