Maharashtra: Happy with Lok Sabha poll result Congress staked claim on Kalyan (East) seat for assembly poll

KALYAN: After the good performance of the Congress in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections, ahead of the assembly election, Congress's Kalyan district president, Sachin Pote, has staked a claim on the Kalyan (East) Assembly seats from Maha Vikas Aghadi, from where the normally undivided Shiv Sena used to contest. This time, it was expected that a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate would contest from this seat.
As the assembly elections are getting closer, interested candidates are coming forward from interested seats.One of these seats is Kalyan (East), from where the undivided Shiv Sena has been contesting elections for three terms since the Assembly seat came into existence.
Amid this, now out of the three parties of Maha Vikas Aghadi, Congress has staked a claim on this seat.
Congress's Kalyan District President Sachin Pote said that since Shiv Sena is getting defeated before MLA Ganpat Gaikwad for the last three terms, who during the last assembly joined BJP from the Kalyan East seat. Hence, I will demand that this seat should be given to Congress in Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Pote, while speaking to media persons, said, "Congress has emerged as the number one party in Maharashtra in the recently held Lok Sabha elections. Now, Congress should get at least one assembly seat out of four seats that come into the Kalyan-Dombivli region in Maha Vikas Aghadi, and I myself am interested in contesting elections from Kalyan East or Kalyan West."
Pote said he is sure that Congress will definitely get the Kalyan seat in Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Pote accused Shiv Sena (UBT) of giving the wrong candidate, or else Maha Vikas Aghadi could have won the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat too. Pote said that Shiv Sena (UBT) did not field a good candidate from Kalyan Lok Sabha. Vaishali Darekar, who was given the ticket, did not maintain good relations with Congress workers. Yet, Congress worked full-fledged for her while following the alliance principles. This is the reason why Shrikant Shinde could not win from here with a big lead.
It will be interesting to see what steps leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will take in response to Pote's demand.