Congress leader Vishal Patil, currently contesting as an independent, is the talk of the town in Sangli. Drawing parallels with Pawar-Thackeray, Patil pointed out, "Sharad Pawar claims his party is NCP, and their symbol was taken from them. Similarly, Uddhav Thackeray claims his party is Shiv Sena, but their symbol, the bow and arrow, was taken from them. That's what happened to us in Sangli." In an interview with Lokmat Digital, Patil alleged, "Our party is Congress, and our symbol has been stolen from us in Sangli."
Significant developments occurred in the Mahavikas Aghadi over the Sangli seat. After Shiv Sena was allocated the seat, most Congress leaders and officials in Sangli rallied behind Vishal Patil's candidacy. Responding to this, Patil stated, "Congress is the only party that understands the significance of the Mahavikas Aghadi. It's Congress's agenda to unite and truly challenge the BJP government within the India Alliance. Others have different agendas. Some aim to expand the party organisation, while others seek new leadership."
"Congress has adopted a sacrificial stance while leading the alliance. A seat like Sangli had to be sacrificed for that cause. If Sangli wasn't allocated to our party, Congress should have taken a stand to break the alliance. The state leadership lacked the authority to make that decision. The central leadership was absent from the discussion, leading to Congress losing the Sangli seat. Nana Patole didn't take a firm stance. Despite initially opposing Uddhav Thackeray's candidature, he couldn't sustain it till the end. We had to move from Sangli to Delhi. Vishwajit Kadam took the initiative, but Shiv Sena refused to listen," Patil explained.
Taking a dig at Shiv Sena, Patil remarked, "People say Vasantdada Patil (his grandfather) did a lot for Shiv Sena. Whether Uddhav Thackeray knows it or not, I'm not sure. Uddhav Thackeray went to Kolhapur and said they left that place for Shahu Maharaj. But asking for another seat in return, is that magnanimity? He failed to understand Sangli's sentiments. Even though they knew they were wrong, they persisted," concluded Vishal Patil.