Pawar holds talks with NCP leaders on Maadha, Buldhana seats

NCP president and Union Minister Sharad Pawar is holding discussions here with party leaders about the candidates for five Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
Party spokesperson Nawab Malik said the deliberations will continue tomorrow.
"These are not decision-making meetings. These are only to bring about a patch-up between various groups in the local units," he said.
Sources said Buldhana and Maadha constituencies were discussed today. Tomorrow the focus would be on Satara, Dindori and Nashik.
In Maadha, MLA Baban Shinde is opposed to the possible candidature of senior party leader Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil and wants ticket for his brother Suresh Shinde. While in Satara, the local NCP unit wants senior leader Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar to be given the ticket, instead of the sitting MP Udayanraje Bhosale.

In Buldhana, local party unit wants former state minister Rajendra Shingne to contest, while Rekha Khedekar, a former BJP MLA who joined the party few years ago too wants a ticket.

"However, Shingne has said he can not contest until the issue of the cancelled license of the Buldhana district co-operative bank was sorted out," party sources said.
In Nashik, senior leader and state PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal is ready to debut in Lok Sabha elections, replacing his nephew, but he wants the party leadership to ensure that the Maratha lobby in NCP does not sabotage his election, sources said.

NCP would be contesting 22 seats in Maharashtra while its alliance partner, Congress, would be contesting 26.