Rashtriya Samaj Party (RSP) chief Mahadev Jankar, an ally of the BJP, met NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar in Pune on Wednesday and expressed displeasure over the saffron party declaring its candidate for the Madha Lok Sabha seat without taking him into confidence.
After meeting Pawar at his residence, Jankar, an MLC, told reporters that the discussion was positive.
”I want Madha and Parbhani Lok Sabha constituencies (for RSP). But the BJP has already declared a candidate for Madha without holding any discussion with me. This means I am not required now. The BJP didn’t invite me for any NDA meeting,” he said.
The BJP, which declared 20 candidates from Maharashtra in its first list, has renominated Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar from the Madha LS constituency. Jankar, who contested the Baramati Lok Sabha seat against Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule in 2014, wields influence among the Dhangar community in western Maharashtra.
State Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Jayant Patil told reporters that Jankar has been in touch with Pawar.
He said individual seats will be declared by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents once the seat adjustments are finalised.
Madha Lok Sabha constituency came into existence in 2008 after delimitation. The first election from this seat was won by Sharad Pawar in 2009. In 2014, the NCP (undivided) retained this seat with Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil defeating Sadabhau Khot, an NDA candidate. Parbhani Lok Sabha constituency in Marathwada region is Shiv Sena bastion. Sitting MP Sanjay Jadhav is a loyalist of Uddhav Thackeray.
