CPM stakes claim to Dindori LS seat, puts NCP in a spot

NASHIK: Trouble is brewing for NCP as far as the Dindori Lok Sabha seat in

Nashik district

is concerned as the CPM has staked claim to the seat, even as the party is locked in a bitter wrangling with Congress for the Ahmednagar seat.

Senior CPM leader Jeeva Gavit said that his party has demanded that the UPA allow it to contest from Dindori. If there is no agreement, then CPM would contest from that seat anyway, he warned.

The Dindori seat belongs to NCP under the seat-sharing agreement with Congress. Dindori is predominantly an agriculture belt and the BJP has won the last three terms from here.

"The district CPM committee, in its meeting, has decided to contest from Dindori. We have been demanding the seat and our senior leaders are also in talks with UPA leaders. Our feedback is that NCP is keen to contest from Dindori, but our district committee is serious about contesting from there even if the UPA does not leave the seat to our party," said Gavit.

Gavit, who is the frontrunner for the ticket from Dindori, said the final decision would be taken by the state party leadership whether to contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own in Dindori,

Palghar

and Solapur seats. A meeting is expected in a couple of days. The CPM had contested the Dindori seat during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Harischandra Chavan of the BJP had defeated NCP's Bharti Pawar by 1.47 lakh votes. Chavan had secured 4.42 lakh votes while Pawar 2.95 lakh votes. CPM's Hemant Waghere came third with 72,599 votes.

The Dindori Lok Sabha constituencies include six state assembly constituencies - Dindori, Niphad, Yeola, Chandvad,

Kalwan

and Nandgaon.

When contacted, NCP sources said the party emerged second in last Lok Sabha elections. "This time, we have three of the six MLAs in Dindori Lok Sabha constituency. Hence, we have chances of winning the seat. The CPM had demanded Dindori, Palghar and Solapur seats, but we will have to leave one of the seats and our party high command will take a call on the issue," said NCP sources.