Mumbai, April 7: The NCP (SP) state president, Shashikant Shinde, announced on Monday that Govind Mokate will be the party’s candidate for the Rahuri Assembly seat.
Former minister Prajakta Tanpure, who was considered a potential candidate, withdrew from the race at the last moment. Consequently, the party had to declare Govind Mokate as their candidate.
Shinde stated, “We have decided to nominate Govind Mokate. All parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi have extended their support to him, and we are confident of winning this seat.” When asked about Tanpure’s withdrawal, Shinde remarked that Tanpure was not prepared to contest but felt pressured by the voters.
“He told us that he did not want to run, but the opinions of his workers mattered most to him. We were in touch with him until 1 PM today, and it was ultimately decided that he would not contest, leading us to choose Govind Mokate as our candidate,” Shinde added.
It is noteworthy that BJP state president Ravindra Chavan and Ahilyanagar Guardian Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had met with Prajakta Tanpure. After a lengthy discussion behind closed doors, Tanpure’s stance on contesting the Rahuri by-election changed.
BJP insiders revealed that despite Chavan and Vikhe Patil’s meeting, Chief Minister Fadnavis directly spoke to Tanpure via a phone call while on a campaign tour in Kerala.
The Chief Minister assured that the state government would address every development issue and complaint raised by Tanpure concerning the Rahuri Assembly constituency. Following the Chief Minister’s assurance, Tanpure decided to withdraw from the electoral contest.
It is important to mention that the Rahuri Assembly seat became vacant after the death of BJP MLA Shivajirao Kardile. A tough competition is expected in the upcoming by-election. The BJP has fielded Shivajirao Kardile’s son, Akshay, who submitted his nomination papers on Monday in the presence of state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan and senior minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.
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