Ramdas Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice, expressed his desire to vie for the Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra but it did work out due to certain alliance compulsions.
Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, Ramdas Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader from Maharashtra, revealed that despite his desire to contest the Shirdi Lok Sabha seat, his Republican Party of India (A) workers have urged him to remain with the ruling NDA and advocate for a cabinet berth at the Centre.
The Rajya Sabha member said he wanted to go to the Lok Sabha and tried to seek Shirdi seat for it. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, has assured the Shirdi seat to his party’s sitting MP Sadashiv Lokhande.
Hence, the seat-sharing could not work out, he said. Athawale mentioned that workers of the RPI (A) from various parts of the country have urged him to maintain allegiance with the NDA and press for a cabinet position.
He further stated that he has deliberated on this matter with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP figure Devendra Fadnavis.
Athawale also addressed concerns regarding the spreading of rumors by the Congress party alleging changes to the Constitution by the government. He appealed to the public to disregard such misinformation.