a blow to the Congress, the party was left without a candidate in Kolhapur North after Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati withdrew her nomination on Monday, the final day for filing withdrawals for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls. The development has rattled Congress ranks in Kolhapur, one of its traditional bastions in western Maharashtra, with local leader Satej Patil openly expressing disappointment.
The Congress had replaced former candidate and ex-corporator Rajesh Latkar with Chhatrapati after internal backlash over Latkar’s selection led to vandalism at a party office. Party insiders suggest Chhatrapati’s decision to withdraw stemmed from adverse publicity related to the switch. Reports indicate the Congress may now back Latkar, who is contesting as an independent.
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Meanwhile, the ruling BJP managed to contain internal frictions, securing the withdrawal of Gopal Shetty from Borivali in Mumbai. Shetty, a former MP who won the Mumbai North seat twice by landslides, had earlier rebelled against what he termed a lack of local representation and communication from party leaders. He has now pledged support to BJP’s official candidate Sanjay Upadhyay.
The BJP also convinced Nana Kate to step back from the Chinchwad seat in Pune district, clearing the path for party nominee Shankat Jagtap, who faces off against NCP’s Rahul Kalate. The Congress found respite in Pune’s Kasba Peth as Mukhtar Shaikh withdrew and announced support for Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar.
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Tensions within the Mahayuti alliance, however, remained, particularly for the Shiv Sena. Despite mounting pressure from the Shinde-led faction, Dada Sarvankar, the party’s nominee from Mumbai’s Mahim constituency, refused to pull out against Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and backed by the BJP.
Further complicating matters,
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