Mumbai, April 1 Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday expressed his readiness to contest the Satara Lok Sabha constituency if allotted the seat from the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) quota.
He made it clear that the Satara seat belongs to the NCP (SP) quota and anybody nominated by that party would be acceptable to the other Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies.
"However, in case the NCP (SP) gives up the seat, I am prepared to contest from there on the Congress name-symbol," Chavan, a former state Chief Minister and Union Minister, told the media.
Incidentally, NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar had indicated on March 29 that he was studying the prospects of various party candidates from Satara from his party plus Chavan (Congress).
Sitting Satara MP Shriniwas D. Patil, 83, has decided to bow out of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls race owing to ill-health, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly toying with the idea of nominating Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhonsle.
Chavan said that he would contest Satara only if granted permission by the party and on the Congress name and symbol (hand).
State NCP (SP) President Jayant Patil held discussions on Sunday with Chavan – who had earlier been elected thrice to LS from the erstwhile Karad (now, Satara after the delimitation of 2008), and previously even his mother, Premala Chavan was elected from there four times including in a by-election.
The NCP (SP) is scouting around for a strong candidate to grapple with Bhonsle in case he is nominated by the BJP, and Chavan would be the first leader of a national stature to enter the 2024 poll fray from the Congress in the state.
In the eventuality of the NCP (SP) giving Satara to the Congress, the latter might reciprocate with some other seat from its quota as a goodwill gesture, as part of adhering to the alliance politics of 'give-and-take', said a party leader.
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