
Maharashtra minister and NCP heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal announced on Friday his aspiration to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Nashik, while also expressing interest in a Rajya Sabha nomination.
Bhujbal, addressing speculations of his dissatisfaction following the nomination of Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, to the Upper House, emphasized that any perceived injustice in ticket allocation should be directed towards party leadership.
Sunetra Pawar filed her Rajya Sabha nomination days after her Lok Sabha loss from Baramati, filling the vacancy left by Praful Patel, who secured a full six-year term in February. Bhujbal noted that he had prepared to run for Nashik based on assurances from Delhi but faced delays and subsequent disappointments when Shiv Sena’s Rajabhau Waje clinched the seat.
Addressing NCP’s subpar performance in the Lok Sabha elections, securing only one of four contested seats, Bhujbal called for introspection. He also dismissed correlations between the BJP-NCP alliance and the election results, attributing broader national trends, such as BJP’s struggles in regions like Uttar Pradesh, as influencing factors.