Maharashtra Polls: UBT warns Congress not to field anyone against its candidates

Mumbai: The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena faction on Monday asked its ally, the Congress, not to field candidates on seats where it has already put up candidates warning that if the Congress goes ahead, then the Sena (UBT) could also respond in kind causing problems in the alliance. The Sena (UBT) faction is angry after the Congress fielded a candidate in Solapur South after the Thackeray faction has already announced a candidate for the seat.

“I believe the Congress putting up a candidate from Solapur might be a typing mistake, but this typing mistake can occur from our end too…We have come to know that local Congress leaders in Miraj are also planning to put up a candidate, (even though the UBT has put up a candidate). If this happens, then this could happen in the whole of Maharashtra and that could cause problems for the alliance. This should be resolved through discussions,” said Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP of Sena (UBT).

Raut was clearly warning the Congress, that if the latter does not withdraw its candidate from Solapur and if the party leaders put up a candidate in Miraj, then the Sena (UBT) faction can also retaliate by asking its cadres to put up candidates where Congress candidates are contesting.

While the Congress is projecting itself as the senior partner and wants to contest more seats in the state, the Sena (UBT) has literally been bullying the Congress. While Congress has been talking of getting a few seats from the Sena (UBT) faction in Mumbai, the latter has said that there was nothing to discuss. The Sena (UBT) has gone ahead and put up candidates in all the seats where the Congress had always been contesting.

“The discussions for Mumbai are over. In Mumbai, we are the dominant party and we should rule here,” Raut said.

He admitted that the three parties were still discussing a few seats even though it is just a day before the deadline for filing nomination ends. Raut claimed that seat sharing talks always dragged on for long and said that it happened even when they were in an alliance with the BJP.State Congress chief Nana Patole avoided responding to Raut’s warning. “It is a decision (on Solapur South), taken by the party high command. The state leadership will not comment on it,” Patole said. He seemed to be upset at Raut constantly taking pot shots at the Congress. “Sanjay Raut should close this issue now and speak about (targeting) the ruling parties.”This is the second seat where the Congress had put up a candidate after the Sena (UBT) had put up a candidate. Earlier, the Congress had fielded a candidate from Digras. The Sena (UBT) withdrew its candidate but it exchanged the Daryapur seat from the Congress in return.

The NCP (SCP) and Sena (UBT) are also at loggerheads over the Paranda seat as both the parties have given a ticket for the candidates from their respective parties.