Congress will win all 5 seats in first phase of LS polls in Maharashtra: Patole

Mumbai, Mar 31 (PTI) The Maha Vikas Aghadi will win all the five constituencies going to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra next month, state unit president Nana Patole said on Sunday. Addressing a press conference here, Patole claimed the people are fed up with the “dictatorial” BJP government at the Centre which will be thrown out of power in elections. The opposition MVA comprises Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, Congress, and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Voting will be held for Nagpur, Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), Bhandara-Gondiya, Chandrapur, and Ramtek (SC) seats which fall in the east Vidarbha region in the first phase on April 19. In four out of these five seats, the BJP and Congress are locked in a straight fight. Interestingly, Chandrapur was the only constituency won by Congress in Maharashtra in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Patole also claimed the situation is very good for Congress in all five constituencies. 97 candidates are in the fray for the first phase of elections in east Vidarbha region. Patole took potshots at BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis who had said that he would book an entire theatre for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to watch the recently-released movie “Swatantra Veer Savarkar”.

“Films made on (Narendra) Modi, Nitin Gadkari, and Godse flopped like the recent movie on Veer Savarkar. Fadnavis should watch ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ based on Gandhian ideals. I will book a theatre for him,” Patole added. He further said Rahul Gandhi’s foot march across the length and breadth of the nation has been successful. “Rahul has created a place in the minds of people. Instead of mocking Rahul, Fadnsvis (who holds the Home portfolio in the Maharashtra government) should pay attention to the deteriorating law and order situation in the state,” the Congress leader added. Meanwhile, in a setback for the ruling Mahayuti alliance, former Shiv Sena MLA from Solapur South assembly segment, Dilip Mane, and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader from Latur, Jagdish Mali, joined the Congress in the presence of Patole. Notably, former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s MLA daughter Praniti Shinde is contesting the Lok Sabha election Congress nominee from Solapur. “Mane is a former Congressman who has returned home,” Sushilkumar Shinde said. He reiterated that the BJP had tried to make Praniti switch to the saffron party but didn’t succeed.