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 Congress Party is part of the state’s ruling Mahayuti coalition, which also comprises the BJP and the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar died when a small aircraft crashed near an airstrip in Baramati town during its second attempt to land after having initiated a go-around. Two pilots, a flight attendant and Ajit Pawar’s security officer were the others who died in the incident.
The cause of the crash was unclear. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, a unit of the civil aviation ministry, is investigating the incident.
On January 31, Sunetra Pawar took oath as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, replacing Ajit Pawar. She was also elected as the leader of the legislative party of the Nationalist Congress Party.
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