Former Shirur MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil was appointed as the president of the Pune unit of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) on Friday. Following his appointment, speculation arose in political circles that the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, might relinquish the Shirur seat to its Mahayuti partner, the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar. This move would have pitted the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) against the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) candidate and sitting MP Amol Kolhe.
However, Patil, who has served as an MP three times from Shirur, reaffirmed his determination to contest the elections. He stated, "I am happy that I have been appointed as a MHADA president. It will give me a chance to serve people by building affordable houses. However, it doesn’t mean I am out of the race for Lok Sabha polls. I will definitely contest the Lok Sabha election from Shirur.”
Ajit Pawar has already laid claim to the Shirur Lok Sabha seat and vowed to campaign against Kolhe to ensure his defeat. Without naming Kolhe directly, Pawar recently remarked, "If an MP had paid attention to his constituency in five years, it would have benefited. That MP was given a ticket by me. Dilip Walse-Patil and I put in our best efforts to ensure his election." Pawar also claimed that Kolhe wanted to resign as "his movies were getting affected".
Meanwhile, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) has declared Kolhe as their candidate from Shirur. This announcement was made by senior party leader Jayant Patil during a 'Vijay Nischay' meeting of party workers in Hadapsar, shortly after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised Ajit Pawar's faction as the real NCP.
Kolhe, a popular Marathi actor known for portraying Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in movies and television serials, began his political journey with the Shiv Sena. However, he later resigned and joined the NCP before the 2019 elections. He contested from the Shirur, defeating Adhalrao Patil by over 58,000 votes.
