Maharashtra: Congress says will withdraw from Baramati bye-polls as ‘mark of respect’ for Ajit Pawar
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The Congress on Thursday announced that it will withdraw its candidate from Maharashtra’s Baramati Assembly seat in the upcoming bye-elections as a “mark of respect” for former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, PTI reported.
Sunetra Pawar, the deputy chief minister and Ajit Pawar’s wife, is contesting the seat following the Nationalist Congress Party leader’s death in a plane crash on January 28.
Thursday is the last day to withdraw nominations for the April 23 bye-elections, necessitated by his death.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that he had asked the party’s state unit to withdraw its candidate. PTI reported. The Opposition party had fielded Akash More from the seat.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said that the party had earlier decided to contest from Baramati as “a message to the people regarding the opposition to BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party],” The Hindu reported.
“Ajit Pawar was a big leader of Maharashtra,” the newspaper quoted Sapkal as saying. “Congress has decided to respond to the emotional appeals about this.”
Sapkal also said that Sunetra Pawar had called him on April 5 about withdrawing from the seat, and again on Wednesday and Thursday. He added that other Nationalist Congress Party leaders had also contacted him.
“NCP-SP [Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar] leaders have contacted our senior leaders too,” The Hindu quoted Sapkal as saying.
The Nationalist...