NCP's Ahmednagar city MLA to take on Vikhe Patil Jr

MUMBAI: The NCP will field Ahmednagar city MLA Sangram Jagtap from Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat, which was, for a long time, the bone of contention between Congress and NCP. Sangram is son of NCP leader Arun Jagtap and son-in-law of veteran BJP legislator Shivajirao Kardile from Rahuri in Ahmednagar district.
Leader of opposition in the assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had asked NCP to allot the Ahmednagar seat to his son, Sujay.When it became clear that Sharad Pawar would not oblige Vikhe Patil, Sujay joined the BJP. On Wednesday, BJP announced that Sujay will contest from Ahmednagar. Sangram was detained by Ahmednagar police following the murder of two senior Shiv Sena leaders on April 7, 2018. Earlier, he was suspended from the legislature on March 22, 2017 for burning copies of the budget as well as obstructing the speech of finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.
Maharashtra: Track here Lok Sabha elections' full coverage
Meanwhile, Congress on Wednesday nominated Eknath Gaikwad from Mumbai South Central, Navin Bandivadekar from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, K C Padavi from Nandurbar, Kunal Patil from Dhule, Charulata Tokas from Wardha, former state unit chief Manikrao Thakre from Yavatmal-Washim and Bhausaheb Kamble from Shirdi. Gaikwad lost the 2014 LS elections to Shiv Sena nominee Rahul Shewale by a huge margin. Kunal Patil, currently MLA from Dhule, is the son of veteran Congress leader and former minister Rohidas Patil, while Tokas is the daughter of former MPCC president Prabha Rau.
News of Congress announcing the name of Bandivadekar evoked protests from activists, who said he was linked with the hardline, right-wing Sanatan Sanstha, whose members are accused of plotting the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant refuted the allegations, saying they were baseless.