Union Social Welfare Minister and senior Dalit leader Ramdas Athavale, who was hunting for a “safe” seat to contest the 2019 lok Sabha polls, has settled down on Mumbai South-Central constituency to try electoral luck.
At a party office bearers’ meeting held at Bandra in north-west Mumbai, the Republican Party of India (Athavale), of which he is a founder-president, on Tuesday decided to field Athavale from Mumbai South-Central
constituency in the 2019 polls. Shiv Sena’s Rahul Shewale is the sitting MP from this constituency.
The term of Athavale, who had been elected to Rajya Sabha in January 2012, will end in early 2020.
Athavale was elected to lok Sabha for the first time in 1998 from Mumbai North-Central constituency, while he was elected to the lok Sabha from Pandarpur constituency in 1999 and 2004. He, however, lost the lok Sabha polls from Shirdi constituency.
Once loyal to the Congress and then associated with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Athavale has been in the NDA camp since 2014.
Given that Athavale has chosen a Shiv Sena-held constituency to contest the polls, the ruling BJP — which is unlikely to contest the 2019 polls in alliance with the Shiv Sena — will not have any issues with the Social Welfare Minister’s decision.