Maha MLC polls: Congress suspends Satyajeet Tambe who filed nomination as independent

NASHIK, (PTI): The Congress on Thursday suspended Satyajeet Tambe, who rebelled against the party and filed nomination as an independent candidate from the Nashik division graduates’ constituency in Maharashtra for the upcoming state Legislative Council polls.

The party suspended him for six years. The action comes days after the suspension of his father and MLC Sudhir Tambe, who did not file nomination papers after being nominated by the Congress as a party candidate from the Nashik division graduates’ constituency.

A communication from Maharashtra Congress general secretary Devanand Pawar addressed to Satyajeet Tambe said, ”You have rebelled in the Nashik division graduates’ constituency polls of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. This is in violation of party discipline. As per the orders of the state president Nana Patole, you have been suspended from the party for six years.”

Earlier in the day, while addressing a press conference here Patole announced the names of five candidates whom the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), will back and expressed confidence that they will win the polls.

The Congress had on Sunday suspended Satyajeet Tambe’s father and three-time MLC Sudhir Tambe after he did not file nomination for the polls despite the party’s mandate and instead got his son to enter the fray as an independent.

The term of five members of the Legislative Council – two from graduates’ and three from teachers’ constituencies – is expiring on February 7. Voting to elect new members of the Upper House will be held on January 30 and counting will be taken up on February 2.

After flip-flops and lack of coordination, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve and NCP’s Jitendra Awhad jointly addressed the press conference with Patole.

”He (Satyajeet Tambe) is in the fray and has started campaigning. He will be suspended today,” Patole said at the press conference. The state Congress chief also said the MVA will back Shubhangi Patil (independent) in Nashik graduates’ constituency, Balaram Patil (independent) in Konkan teachers constituency, Vikram Kale (NCP) in Aurangabad teachers constituency, Sudhakar Adbale (independent) in Nagpur teachers constituency and Dhiraj Lingade (Congress) in Amravati graduates constituency.

All five candidates of the MVA will win, Patole said.

On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said the MLC polls have clearly shown the confusion in the MVA and it is not his party’s responsibility to make ”sacrifices” every time.

He had also said the Shiv Sena’s Gangadhar Nakade withdrew his candidate after instructions from the party because there is a feeling that if any decision has to be taken with regards to the MVA then everyone has to fight together.

The MVA was formed in November 2019 after Uddhav Thackeray snapped ties with long-time ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over differences on power sharing and joined hands with the Congress and the NCP. (PTI)