Nashik: Union minister and the chief of Republican Party of India (RPI-A), Ramdas Athawale, is keen on contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Shirdi in Ahmednagar district, said Baburao Kadam, the RPI-A state working president.Our party president recently met BJP national president J P Nadda and Union minister Amit Shah, requesting them to give two LS seats to the party in Maharashtra — Shirdi and Solapur.If the BJP high command agrees to our request, Athawale will contest from Shirdi, Kadam told TOI.At present, the Shirdi seat belongs to the Shiv Sena. Sadashiv Lokhande, the Shirdi MP, has been winning the seat since 2014. During the split in Sena, Lokhande threw his weight behind the Eknath Shinde camp.Currently, Shiv Sena and RPI-A are both part of the NDA coalition headed by BJP. Athawale is extremely keen on winning the Shirdi seat since the party has a strong base there. Our party workers will work for Athawales victory, said Kadam.Kadam claimed that Ahmednagar guardian minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has assured Athawale of BJPs whole-hearted support if he contests the Shirdi seat.The RPI-A chief had tasted defeat in Shirdi in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. The undivided Shiv Sena candidate, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, had defeated him by a margin of over 1.3 lakh votes. Sena has been winning that seat since 2009.Sena insiders said it would not be easy for Athawale to get the ticket for the Shirdi seat since Shiv Sena has a sitting MP there. A Sena leader argued that Senas base in Shirdi is stronger than RPI-As and the Sena leadership will not yield to Athawales demand. Lokhande avoided making any comment on the issue. I will abide by the decision of our leader and chief minister Eknath Shinde. It would not be fair for me to comment on Ramdas Athawales demand, said Lokhande.We also published the following articles recentlyPolitical turmoil in Kalyan as BJP MLA and Shiv Sena MP clash over Lok Sabha seat contentionIn the ongoing disputes between BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde in Kalyan, fresh controversies have emerged. Gaikwad reiterated the BJPs intention to contest the upcoming elections for the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, indirectly criticizing Shrikant Shinde. Shrikant Shinde dismissed Gaikwads statement, stating that senior leaders of the alliance would determine the candidates for the elections. Such remarks were seen as seeking publicity. Gaikwads consistent targeting of Shrikant Shinde has created confusion and non-cooperation among local party workers in Kalyan.UBT Sena, Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar) to contest Lok Sabha election together says Sanjay RautShiv Sena UBT, Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Congress will contest the Lok Sabha election together. The INDIA alliance meeting was planned before the election results. Mallikarjun Kharge informed Uddhav Thackeray about the meeting. Uddhav Thackeray will attend the meeting in Delhi. Seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls will be discussed.Ashok Gehlot government is responsible for murder of Karni Sena chief: BJP MLA Balmukund AcharyaBJP leader criticizes the Ashok Gehlot government for bad governance and the killing of Karni Sena Chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. The BJP MLA blames the Congress for the murder and claims that the government failed to provide security despite prior threats. Mafias have thrived in Rajasthan under the Gehlot government, creating an atmosphere of fear. BJP demands the arrest of the criminals and criticizes the Congress for politicizing the issue. Rajput community protests the murder and calls for immediate action. The crowd will continue to grow until the responsible individuals are apprehended.

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