Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan is likely to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Satara seat in Maharashtra. Sources indicate that Chavan's candidacy is expected under the Congress banner, despite efforts by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar to bring him into the NCP fold.
Satara has been allocated to the NCP as per the seat-sharing arrangement within the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition. However, Prithviraj Chavan has made it clear that he intends to contest on a Congress ticket.
The potential contest in Satara could see Chavan pitted against BJP Rajya Sabha MP Udayanraje Bhosale, who is speculated to be the BJP's candidate for the constituency.
The decision to field Prithviraj Chavan from Satara gained momentum after NCP's sitting MP from the constituency, Shrinivas Patil, expressed his inability to contest again due to health reasons. The NCP leadership did not find his son Sarang Patil a suitable candidate, leading to discussions about Chavan's candidacy.
While the final decision on the candidate and the seat is pending, the NCP is reportedly keen on contesting the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha seat, which traditionally belongs to the Congress. However, a potential quid-pro-quo arrangement could see the NCP conceding Bhiwandi to the Congress if Chavan contests from Satara.
On the BJP side, Udayanraje Bhosale has already initiated his campaign for Satara. Bhosale, who previously contested and won the Satara seat on an NCP ticket in 2019, subsequently joined the BJP but lost the seat to NCP's Shriniwas Patil in the subsequent bypolls.
Prithviraj Chavan, a long-time political figure in Maharashtra, has historically been associated with the anti-Pawar faction within the state Congress and has close ties with the Gandhi family. His potential candidacy from Satara adds an intriguing dimension to the electoral dynamics in Maharashtra.
