Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The efforts by Mahayuti leaders to locate the district chief of the Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde faction, Ramesh Pawar, who has rebelled in the Phulambri assembly constituency, have proven futile. Pawar has been unreachable for two days, leaving the leaders scrambling to convince him to withdraw his candidacy on the last day for submission.
Pawar had been preparing for the elections for several months, with plans to contest from Phulambri. He had also submitted his nomination papers recently. Given that the Mahayuti candidate is BJP's Anuradha Chavan, leaders from the coalition attempted to persuade Pawar to withdraw his application to avoid a rebellion. However, with only two days left—October 31 and November 4—Pawar went missing, turning off his mobile phone and disappearing to an unknown location, leaving Mahayuti leaders' efforts in vain.
As of Monday, Pawar had not withdrawn his nomination by 3 pm, maintaining the rebellion within Mahayuti. The impact of his defiance on Anuradha Chavan's candidacy will be clearer once the election results are announced.
Chief Minister’s Call, Yet...
Meanwhile, when contacted Ramesh Pawar, on November 1, said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had also called him regarding the withdrawal, but I told him about my firm decision to contest the election, said Pawar.