Tambe opted out of polls due to pressure from son, says Patole

Nashik: State Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday claimed that “internal disputes” within the Tambe family resulted in Dr Sudhir Tambe opting not to contest the Nashik graduates’ constituency polls although he was given the party ticket.Patole told reporters in Nashik that the party had re-nominated its sitting MLC of the constituency, Dr Sudhir Tambe, to contest the polls as the Congress candidate.“My feedback is that his son, Satyajeet, pressured him to opt out of the election as he was keen to contest the polls. He (Satyajeet) filed his nomination as an independent since he did not get the ticket from Congress,” said Patole, adding that Congress had no role in the internal problem of the Tambe family.Tambe has been suspended pending an enquiry. The party has also suspended Satyajeet, the former state youth Congress president, for six years. Responding to questions, Patole alleged that the BJP had pulled the strings to ensure Satyajeet remained in fray instead of his father. “The BJP had a crucial role in the entire episode to promote Satyajeet and that is the reason it did not give any candidate for the election,” Patole claimed.He said since Maha Vikas Aghadi is backing the independent candidate, Shubhangi Patil, he held a meeting with Nashik Congress leaders to ensure that they help her win the polls.When contacted, Tambe refused to comment on the claims made by Patole over his opting out from the polls. “I will not comment on what the state Congress president has said about me and my family. My priority is to ensure Satyajeet wins the ensuing polls,” said Tambe.