Pune: Following Sushma Andhare's announcement of Mahadev Babar as the candidate for the Hadapsar Assembly seat from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party, tensions arose between the Thackeray faction and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction.
Sushma Andhare, a prominent leader from the Thackeray group, faced a sharp response from NCP MP Supriya Sule, who addressed the matter during a press conference in Pune.
Supriya Sule responded to Andhare's announcement by questioning whether she was present at the recent seat-sharing meeting. "Was Sushma Tai at the meeting? I will call and ask her. As far as I know, she wasn't present at yesterday’s meeting.
Until the seat-sharing arrangements are finalized, I will not make any statements that could cause confusion within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance," Sule remarked, subtly indicating that Andhare's statement may have been premature.
In a related matter, the entry of Harshvardhan Patil into the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has reportedly caused dissatisfaction among some leaders.
Addressing these concerns, Supriya Sule stated, "I have spoken with Bharat Shah and Jagdale both yesterday and today. Given my personal ties with all three leaders, I consider it my responsibility to uphold their respect.
Maharashtra witnessed how BJP threatened Pravin Mane and coerced him into campaigning against us. Nevertheless, discussions are ongoing, and I believe that dialogue is key to resolving any differences. We are open to talks with everyone."
When asked about the alleged invisible support that Harshvardhan Patil might have provided during the Lok Sabha elections,
Sule diplomatically responded, "The people of Baramati are our guardians. Any invisible forces could be expressions of love or blessings. While anyone is free to support us, people do not appreciate threats and intimidation. This is a democracy," she concluded.