Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati.
Credit: facebook/madhurima
Mumbai: A day after Congress nominee Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati withdrew at the last minute from the Kolhapur North seat, the royal family on Tuesday said that the decision was to support a common party worker.
Madhurima Raje is wife of former MLA Maloji Raje Chhatrapati and daughter-in-law of Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj, the Kolhapur MP of the Congress.
The Kolhapur royal family are descendants of iconic Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and legendary social reformer Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj.
“We were of the policy that there should not be two (political) posts in one family. And hence, she did not present her candidature. Accordingly, Rajesh Latkar’s candidature was announced, however, it was objected to and under certain circumstances the nomination was accepted. However, since Latkar did not withdraw, we as a family decided not to contest respecting the sentiments of a common Congress worker,” Shahu Chhatrapati said in a statement.
According to him, Latkar though is not a candidate, the party would work unitedly to secure his victory.
Shahu Chhatrapati also said that they would strengthen the hands of Satej Patil.
After the withdrawal, an agitated Patil had said: “This isn't correct, Maharaj...I don't accept it...you should have taken a decision earlier itself (about Madhurima Raje not contesting elections)…If you don't have guts, you shouldn't have filled the form in the first place; I would have shown my power.”
However, on Tuesday, Patil said that the issue is a closed chapter.
“I have always had complete respect for the ‘gaadi’ (throne) and the Chhatrapatis, which will continue in the future… I don’t wish to comment on what happened last evening and create any misunderstandings,” declared Patil.
On the other hand, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) took a dig at the Congress. “The Shiv Sena has won the seat seven times," said Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut. “The outburst of Bunty Patil reflects everything,” added former Lok Sabha member Vinayak Raut.
Incidentally, Thackeray was in Kolhapur where he shared dais with Shahu Chhatrapati and Patil and also praised the young Congressman.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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