Perhaps party thought I was not suitable for Rajya Sabha bypoll: Chhagan Bhujbal

MUMBAI/PUNE/NASHIK: A section of NCP MLAs said the party’s decision to pick Sunetra Pawar as a Rajya Sabha candidate over a senior leader like Chhagan Bhujbal has not gone down well. Though Bhujbal accompanied Sunetra for the filing of her nomination, some NCP MLAs said he was hurt by the development.
Bhujbal told TOI, “Perhaps my party felt that I am not the right fit for the Rajya Sabha bypoll.I have been loyal to my party and abided by collective decisions.” He said, “I always respect collective decisions, whether in Shiv Sena, Congress or NCP, all along, I have adhered to my policy…there were 13 contenders for the Rajya Sabha seat. Ultimately, only one was to be selected. NCP leadership decided to nominate Sunetra Pawar.”

State party president Sunil Tatkare said neither Bhujbal nor other leaders are upset. “It was a unanimous decision taken by the core group of the party. Nobody in the NCP is upset about it. The senior leadership makes decisions considering what is good for the party’s future,” he added.
However, Bhujbal’s associates said his presence alongside Sunetra during the filing of the nomination did not mean he approved of the decision. “He is crestfallen and is pondering what he should do to win the confidence of his party’s top brass,” an NCP politician close to Bhujbal said, adding that this was the second instance when he was passed over.
A prominent OBC leader who took a stand against the inclusion of Marathas under OBC quota, Bhujbal’s earlier bid to represent the NCP in Parliament was jettisoned when he was denied a ticket to contest from Nashik Lok Sabha constituency. His supporters said the NCP leadership could not convince alliance partner Shiv Sena to give up the seat. “Bhujbal had a better chance of winning but he backed out as he felt humiliated by the inordinate delay in announcing his candidature,” a supporter told TOI. Eventually, the Sena leadership nominated Hemant Godse, who was defeated by Shiv Sena UBT candidate Raja Waze.
Regarding the RS nomination, another associate of Bhujbal said, “Before deciding on a name for such a big post, party leaders call for several meetings. In this case, Pawar, Patel and Tatkare had already finalised Sunetra’s name and they called Bhujbal as a formality. They announced her name on Thursday.” Some MLAs questioned the lack of transparency in such decision-making and said senior leaders need to take MLAs into confidence before announcing candidates in this manner.
Though both NCP working president Praful Patel and Bhujbal denied it, senior NCP leaders confirmed that at the core committee meeting at the residence of deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Bhujbal confronted the rest saying a decision on the Rajya Sabha nominee should have been taken a week ago when the notification for the election was issued by the Election Commission.