MUMBAI/KOLHAPUR: The Congress’ Central Election Committee on Monday approved the candidature of former chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde from the Solapur constituency for the coming Lok Sabha elections.Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar had earlier expressed interest in contesting from Solapur and his traditional constituency, Akola, in the Vidarbha region.Earlier in the day, Ambedkar and Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen addressed a joint election meeting in Solapur, giving the Congress-NCP causes for concern and setting off fears that the anti-BJP votes would get splintered.Ambedkar, who is on the election campaign in the Vidarbha region also, told TOI that he was in touch with Congress leaders over the seat-sharing and hoped to sort the issue out once he was back in Mumbai.Ambedkar said he was ready to wait for two more days for final negotiations with the Congress. The Top sources in BJP told TOI that the actual announcement of the candidature of Jai Siddheshwar remained a mere formality now. “The announcement will be made after completing all internal formalities,” a BJP leader said.The BJP is banking on Jai Siddheshwar to take on Shinde in view of the social composition of the constituency.The party has, however, not yet disclosed that sitting Solapur LS member Sharad Bansode, who defeated Shinde by about 1.5 lakh party was expecting the Congress to create a constitutional framework, within which the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) could be forced to operate.Sources in the Congress said they have asked Ambedkar to prepare a draft, “under which the RSS can be put under some restrictions constitutionally”. A source said, “The Congress is yet to receive any such draft.”On the other hand, the BJP has almost finalized the candidature of spiritual leader Jai Siddheshwar Shivacharya, who has a large following in the Lingayat community, for the Solapur constituency. votes in 2014, would not be given the ticket.Jai Siddheshwar is a respected spiritual leader among the Lingayats, a dominant community in the area. He also has numerous followers from other communities. He runs a mutt at Gaudgaon village in Akkalkot taluka. Three assembly segments – Akkalkot, South Solapur and Solapur North – of Solapur Lok Sabha constituency have a large number of Lingayat voters. The Lingayats are spread in neighbouring constituencies too, and the BJP is hoping to bring the community into the party fold.Jai Siddheshwar is also among the prominent Lingayat leaders who publicly opposed minority and separate religion status to the Lingayat community, a demand that rose in neighbouring Karnataka state. Sources in the BJP said party leaders have already had rounds of negotiations with Jai Siddheshwar.The BJP is placing its bets on adding to its traditional vote bank — the Lingayat and the Dhangar communities.A section of the Lingayats might oppose Jai Siddheshwar’s entry into active politics. A meeting of the Lingayat members last week warned that any spiritual leader entering politics “will face the community’s wrath”.Meanwhile, the state government has already changed the name of Solapur University to Punuashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University. This was a longpending demand of the Dhangar community. A section of the Lingayat community, however, wants the university be named after Siddheshwar Maharaj.The Dhangar community is spread across the border of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh . The BJP has also taken a decision to include the Dhangar among Adivasis for purpose of reservation.

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