The Free Press Journal visited the Islampur Assembly constituency in Sangli district on Thursday, where NCP (SP) state chief Jayant Patil is vying for his eighth consecutive term as an MLA. A massive crowd, including the women and the elderly, gathered in a show of support as Patil filed his nomination for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls. Speaking to this newspaper, the NCP (SP) leader expressed confidence that the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will cross the magic figure of 145 and form the government.
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When asked if this election is different for him from the other seven times he has contested, Patil said, "I don't think it is if this constituency is concerned. But in Maharashtra, yes, this time both the major parties in Maharashtra (NCP and Shiv Sena) were - I would say - stolen, and we had to form a new party. The people of the state haven't liked that Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray have been deceived by the ruling dispensation, the Centre and the Election Commission. The people are waiting for the day of voting to give their answer."
Contrary to reports of differences within the MVA, Patil maintained that there aren't any. "We are simply discussing and finalising the candidates and seats. There are no differences. We are also taking other smaller parties together and forming a larger alliance," he said.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar earlier hinted that Patil would be given a bigger role post-elections, sparking speculation about his being a potential CM candidate for the party. Talking about this, Patil said, "I do not want to comment on this but I am very thankful to Pawar Saheb. His blessings are always with me."
To his constituency, Patil said, "I am thankful to the people of Islampur. They have always shown unconditional support to me for the last seven times; this is the eighth time I have filed my nomination form. This is the same scenario I saw in 1990 and even today, the crowd is the same."
The FPJ also spoke to the people of Islampur and there was a clear consensus among them that MVA will form a government and Patil will be the CM.
"Patil Saheb is the future of this state; he has a vision and is capable of taking the state to newer heights. He has already handled important portfolios such as Finance Minister, Home Minister, Rural Development Minister, etc. He will now make a perfect CM," said a supporter.
"Patil Saheb will win this election by a margin of over 1 lakh votes and he will definitely become the CM. He is known for his clean image. He is the need of Maharashtra at the moment. He doesn't need the CM post, but Maharashtra needs him," added another supporter.
Ajit Pawar's NCP nominates Nishikant Patil from Islampur
BJP leader Nishikant Patil on Friday joined Ajit Pawar's NCP and secured the party's ticket from Islampur. "I have joined NCP today on the direction of our leader Devendra Fadnavis. I had to shift to NCP from the BJP as the Islampur Assembly seat went to the NCP. I will win the election from the Islampur seat on the NCP ticket," he said. In the 2019 polls, Nishikant Patil, who contested as an independent candidate, lost to Jayant Patil by a margin of over 60,000 votes.
