MLC polls: BJP vs NCP (SP) for Solapur and Satara-Sangli seats

Kolhapur: The Solapur MLC seat is set to witness a contest between BJP’s Rajendra Raut and NCP (SP)’s Vasantrao Deshmukh. The Satara-Sangli MLC seat is headed for a three-cornered contest among BJP’s Dhairyashil Kadam, NCP (SP)’s Abhaysinha Jagtap and independent candidate Kishor Dhumal.

For the Solapur MLC seat, the contest is between BJP’s Rajendra Raut and NCP (SP)’s Vasantrao Deshmukh. In the Satara-Sangli MLC seat, a three-cornered contest is in the offing among BJP’s Dhairyashil Kadam, NCP (SP)’s Abhaysinha Jagtap and independent candidate Kishor Dhumal.

Thursday marked the final day for withdrawal of nominations. Following the rejection of Congress candidate Aditya Fattepurkar’s nomination, MVA decided to back Deshmukh, who had filed his nomination despite the seat being allocated to Congress. Several independent candidates, including rebels from both Mahayuti and MVA, withdrew from the race.

“We tried to ensure our candidate wins unopposed. The ego of one leader has, however, forced a contest. There are very few councillors from NCP (SP), so the opposition candidate will lose by a huge margin,” BJP MLA Sachin Kalyanshetti said.

NCP (SP) Madha MLA Abhijeet Patil has, however, distanced himself from Deshmukh’s candidature. “I was not taken into confidence while filing the nomination. No one approached me for support. I have nothing to do with Deshmukh’s candidature,” he said.

Sources said Madha MP Dhairyashil Mohite Patil persuaded Deshmukh to remain in the contest. “Deshmukh is a senior politician with strong cross-party relations. There is a brewing discontent within Mahayuti, which could benefit him,” a source said.

The electorate consists of elected councillors from local bodies within the respective constituencies. In Solapur, there are 616 eligible voters, 305 men and 311 women. A candidate needs at least 309 votes to win.

For the Satara-Sangli seat, BJP candidate sought the intervention of Shiv Sena leader and minister Shambhuraj Desai, who helped convince Sena’s Tanaji Patil to withdraw his nomination. This move signals that BJP and Shiv Sena have resolved their differences. The BJP candidate will, however, still need to secure votes from the MVA camp to ensure victory.

A total of 895 voters are eligible in the Satara-Sangli constituency, including 472 from Satara and 423 from Sangli. MVA holds significant strength in Sangli, while NCP, key in Satara, has remained silent so far.