In a major political development, the ruling Congress has played dirty tricks on its own State Minister Rajendra Gavit, by nominating first as its candidate for the Palghar lok Sabha seat and then denying him at the last moment A and B forms in support of his candidature — all to support of the nominee and sitting MP Baliram Jadhav of the Bahujan Vikas Agadi, a party controlled by erstwhile land mafia don Bhai Thakur’s brother Hitendra Thakur.
A day after he filed his nomination at the Jawahar sub-divisional office in Thane district amid fanfare, disappointment awaited Gavit, a Congress MlA from Palghar and Tribal Development Minister in the Prithiviraj Chavan Government, as the deadline for submitting the supporting document –A and B forms at 3 pm on the last day for filing the nominations on Saturday.
Together, the A and B forms are one of the six documents that a candidate put by a recognised political party has to file as supporting documents for his or her candidature. The A and B forms are to be signed by party’s State president, Secretary or any other office-bearer of the party, formally authorising the candidate to contest the polls.
“I am naturally disappointed that my party pulled me out at the last moment. I had been specially requested by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan to contest the polls. That’s why I had filed the nomination for the lok Sabha polls yesterday. I was to submit the A and B forms to the election authorities before 3 pm today. Since I did not get the duly signed A and B forms from Congress State President Manikarao Thakre till the end of deadline, I could not complete the nomination formalities,” Gavit told The Pioneer.
Gavit is unable to comprehend as to why the Congress had chosen to pull him out of the contest and to support to the BVA candidate in the polls, at the last moment. “Palghar was a winning seat for the Congress. I am surprised as to why my party has given the seat on a platter to the BVA,” the Tribal Minister said.
With it withdrawing Gavit from the Palghar contest, the Congress – which was scheduled to contest 27 seats as against 21 seats contested by its ruling alliance partner NCP, will now contest 26 seats in Maharashtra, as it did in the 2009 polls.
With Gavit out of the contest, the main candidates in the Palghar poll fray are: sitting BVA MP Baliram Jadhav, Chintaman Wanga of the BJP, ladak Kharpade of the CPM and Pandurang Pardhi of Aam Aadmi Party.
In the 2009 polls, Jadhav had trounced Wanga by small margin of 12,364 votes and the Congress’ then candidate Damodar Shingda had emerged third by polling 1,60,567 votes as against 223232 and 2,10868 votes secured by Jadhav of the BVA and Wanga of the BJP respectively.
Informed party sources said it was the chief minister who had prevailed upon the Congress’ losing candidate in the 1999 polls Damodar Shingda -- who had expressed his keenness to re-contest the poll – to bow out of the fray in favour of Gavit.
While the MPCC president Thakre and party’s spokesperson Sachin Sawant were not available for comment, senior State Congress functionary and legislator Sanjay Dutt justified the party’s decision to deny party ticket to Gavit at the last moment and announce the party’s support for the BVA candidate.
“After assessing our strengths and weaknesses of Gavit, we realized that he would end up as the third in terms of votes polled like it happened last time. With Gavit in the fray, we would have given an edge to the BJP candidate Chitman Wanga in the poll. In addition, the BVA is our ally and has been supporting the DF government in the state for the last five year. By announcing our support to the BVA candidate, we have literally secured Palghar seat for the UPA”.
The Congress is not forthcoming on why it has chosen support a party floated by an erstwhile mafia leader and former MlA Hitendra Thakur.Vivek Pandit, Thakur’s long-time political rival and Independent MlA (supporting Shiv Sena) from Vasai, an Assembly segment located next to Palghar town, said: “I am surprised as to why a national party like the Indian National Congress has surrendered to a local mafia don. By announcing its support to the BVA candidate, the Congress has demonstrated that it lacks both will and courage to fight the criminalisation of politics”
Pandit -- who has been waging war against the “goonda raj” of sitting MlA. erstwhile underworld don Bhai Thakur’s younger brother and BVA chief Hitendra Thakur in the Virar-Vasai belt –had defeated the BVA nominee in the Thakur-controlled Vasai constituency.