Pune: Discontent is brewing in Indapur as a faction within the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has issued a stern warning regarding the party’s decision to nominate Harshvardhan Patil as the candidate for the upcoming assembly elections.
On Friday (October 11), disgruntled party members held a meeting in Indapur, vowing to contest the elections independently if the candidacy of Harshvardhan Patil, a twice-defeated politician, is not reconsidered.
The controversy stems from Harshvardhan Patil’s recent political maneuvers. Having lost the last two assembly elections from the Indapur constituency, Patil’s decision to join NCP (SP) after stints in both the Congress and BJP has not been well received by many in the local NCP (SP) cadre.
Shortly after joining NCP (SP), Patil’s candidacy was announced for the Indapur seat, sparking resentment among local leaders such as Praveen Mane, Director of Sonai Industrial Group, Dashrath Mane, former Chairman of Pune Zilla Parishad, Appasaheb Jagdale, Director of the Pune District Central Cooperative (PDCC) Bank, and Bharat Shah, Deputy Mayor of Indapur.
During the meeting, termed the "Parivartan" gathering, these leaders voiced their disapproval of Harshvardhan Patil’s candidacy and questioned the criteria used to justify it.
They highlighted that Patil’s political history is marked by multiple shifts in allegiance—first from rebelling in 1995, then joining the Congress and becoming a minister, and later moving to the BJP. Now, having joined the NCP (SP), they allege he has brought his entire political camp along with him, leading to further discontent.
The faction made it clear that they had worked diligently to strengthen the NCP (SP) party’s base in Indapur, especially after the internal split in NCP, choosing to remain aligned with Sharad Pawar.
They lamented the dynastic politics that has dominated Indapur since 1952 and argued that the people of the constituency deserve better representation.
In a sharp ultimatum, the group announced that if the leadership does not revoke Patil’s candidacy, it will trigger a rebellion of unprecedented scale, with members contesting the election as independents.
They urged Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule to reconsider the decision, warning that ignoring the voices from Indapur could lead to a major fallout.
The dissatisfied group also reminded the leadership that a delegation of 2,000 workers had met with Sharad Pawar, requesting that the candidacy be given to a local leader rather than an "imported" one like Patil.
They cautioned that if their demands are not met, the rebellion in Indapur could become one of the largest political uprisings in Maharashtra, potentially harming the party’s electoral prospects.
