MP Raju Shetti MP Raju Shetti Swabhimani Paksha leader and Hatkhanagale MP Raju Shetti has indicated his willingness to start talks with other parties before the 2019 general election. Last week during a conference of the party in Wardha, Shetti had declared that his party would be contesting around seven Lok Sabha seats in the state. On Monday, Shetti opened talks with the Congress for a possible pre-poll alliance. “Earlier last week, state Congress president Ashok Chavan spoke to me and nominated the leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil to talk to me to explore the possibilities of a pre-poll alliance,” he said. Closely associated with the politics in the sugar bowl of the state, the farmers’ body has not been very successful so far. Other than Shetti, none of the leaders of the organisation has been successful in their attempts at the Lok Sabha or the state Assembly. During the 2014 polls, the organisation had allied with the BJP. But Shetti announced his departure from the NDA soon after a decision that also saw state minister of agriculture Sadashiv Khot leaving the party. Khot, once the second tallest leader of the organisation has become a Shetti baiter and has openly declared his willingness to take on Shetti in the latter’s home turf on a BJP ticket. Since his departure from the NDA folds, Shetti has embarked on multiple campaigns to highlight the anti-farmer policies of both the state and the central government. Shetti, along with farmer leaders from across the country, had joined hands to frame two bills aimed at a complete loan waiver for farmers as well assured payment of Minimum Support Price (MSP) at wholesale markets. Both bills have been introduced in the Parliament as private members bills by Shetti and other Left MPs. During the course of canvassing support for the bills, Shetti had shared stage with his political opponents like NCP leader Sharad Pawar and the Congress. Asked about this apparent change of stance, Shetti had said they would be ready to support any political party that was to support the cause of farmers. Shetti’s rise has been closely associated with his opposition to sugar barons who have been from either the NCP or the Congress. Thus many leaders in the organisation are apprehensive about any political adjustment with them. Speaking at the annual conference of the party, Shetti had singled out the Lok Sabha seats of Hatkhanagale, Kolhapur, Madha (Solapur district), Buldhana, Wardha, Sangli and Nandurbar as possible places where the party would field candidates. Speaking to The Indian Express Shetti, however, said they would be ready for an understanding with political parties about the seats. Shetti had said the two main planks for his discussion would be an assurance from the Congress regarding unconditional support for the two bills introduced by him. “Also, our alliance should be based on mutual respect and thus, the number of seats given to us should also be respectable,” he said. Of the seven seats named by Shetti, Congress had won Nandurbar, while its one time partner in the government, the NCP now has the Madha and Kolhapur seats. As talks of a grand opposition unity gathers steam, both the Congress and the NCP would be eager to have Shetti by their side given the strong pockets of influence the farmer leader has in the state. For all the latest Pune News, download Indian Express App

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