Massive jolt to Congress: Kolhapur North candidate pulls out of race as rebel refuses to budge

In a major setback to the Congress in Kolhapur North, the party's candidate Madhurimaraje Chhatrapati, from the erstwhile Kolhapur royal family, withdrew her candidacy on Monday, the last day for nomination withdrawals. She decided to withdraw due to factional disputes within the Congress unit in Kolhapur, a traditional stronghold for the party in Maharashtra’s western region.

Madhurimaraje, daughter-in-law of Congress leader and Kolhapur MP Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj, had been chosen to represent the party in the upcoming state assembly elections on November 20. As part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition's seat-sharing arrangement, the Kolhapur North constituency was allocated to Congress, which currently holds the seat. 

Initially, Congress nominated local leader Rajesh Latkar, but he was later replaced by Madhurimaraje as the official candidate. Latkar, however, refused to withdraw and filed his nomination as an independent. Madhurimaraje commenced her campaign with support from Congress MLC Satej Patil, but efforts by Patil and Shahu Maharaj to persuade Latkar to withdraw were unsuccessful. 

Faced with internal division, Madhurimaraje ultimately pulled out. Shahu Maharaj said Latkar is a loyal Congress leader who did not agree to withdraw. "Therefore, we decided not to contest this seat. Sometimes stepping back is a step forward for future opportunities," he said while speaking to The Indian Express. 

Patil voiced disappointment at the last-minute withdrawal, stating: "If the candidate was to withdraw, the ticket should not have been given to her."

Congress is now expected to back Latkar as their de facto candidate in Kolhapur North.

This incident in Kolhapur North adds to a series of internal challenges for the Congress in Maharashtra, where rebels and dissenters have complicated the party's efforts in key constituencies. In the Marathwada region, for example, Congress and other MVA parties are facing multiple rebel candidates who could split the vote.

Earlier, in a separate development, the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate for the Aurangabad Central, Kishanchand Tanwani, also withdrew from the race, citing potentially unfavourable situation similar to the 2014 contest. In 2014, Imtiaz Jaleel of AIMIM had defeated Shiv Sena candidate Pradeep Jaiswal from the same seat in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city, pushing Tanwani, who contested on BJP's ticket, to the third spot.