Vishal backs rebel and sister-in-law Jayashree over Congress candidate

PUNE: In what is being seen as round 2 of the ‘Sangli pattern’ – wherein the Congress which has historically held sway over Sangli is losing ground in the assembly constituency in recent years – the party on Tuesday suffered one more jolt in Sangli (after Kolhapur North) with MP Vishal Patil declaring his support for Congress rebel candidate and his sister-in-law Jayashree Patil in the upcoming assembly elections.

Vishal, who has been associated with the Congress despite winning the recent Lok Sabha polls as an independent, announced his support for Jayashree calling her the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA’s) ‘true candidate’ while casting aspersions on the Congress’s official candidate’s ability to secure a victory against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At the launch of Jayashree’s campaign on Tuesday, which began with a prayer to Lord Ganesha, Vishal addressed the gathering saying, “Jayashree (Patil) is not a rebel; she is the genuine candidate of the MVA. The Congress-nominated candidate lacks the strength to defeat the BJP. As part of the MVA alliance, I appeal to the people of Sangli to support my Vahini (sister-in-law) just as they supported me in the Lok Sabha (LS) elections.”

Vishal further clarified that the MVA alliance includes not only the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) but also the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and himself as an independent MP. He went on to criticise the Congress for repeatedly sidelining the family of late Vasant Dada Patil, a former chief minister of Maharashtra and a Congress stalwart.

“Since 2014, our family has been kept away from the electoral process by the Congress despite our commitment to the party’s ideology. In 2019’s LS and assembly polls, again in 2024’s LS polls, and now in the assembly polls, Congress has denied tickets to Vasant Dada’s family members. Jayashree is contesting the elections to reclaim our rightful place and as in the LS polls, I am confident that the people will stand by our family,” Vishal said.

Jayashree is the widow of Madan Dada Patil and the granddaughter-in-law of late Vasant Dada Patil and shares close family ties with Vishal. She supported Vishal during his 2024 independent run in the LS elections, helping him defeat the MVA-backed candidate, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s wrestler Chandrahar Patil. Vishal’s independent victory then was a testament to his influence in Sangli and marked a rift within the MVA.

Sangli, a Congress stronghold, has seen shifting loyalties in recent years with BJP candidates winning the assembly seat since 2009. In 2019, BJP’s Sudhir Gadgil defeated Congress’s Pruthviraj Patil by a margin of nearly 7,000 votes. Despite this, the Congress has once again fielded Pruthviraj Patil, setting up a three-horse race with BJP’s Gadgil and Congress rebel Jayashree Patil.

Vishal backing Jayashree is reminiscent of the recently concluded LS polls wherein Congress leader Vishwajeet Kadam backed Vishal, who rebelled against the party and fought the polls as an independent. After being elected however, Vishal supported the Congress with these developments billed as the Sangli pattern.

Vishal’s decision to endorse Jayashree is being seen as round 2 of the Sangli pattern wherein internal divisions in the MVA may once again impact the alliance’s electoral success in Sangli. His decision underscores the complexities and familial dynamics shaping this election, and could sway voters loyal to the Patil family legacy.

Political analyst Abhay Deshpande expressed the view that in the LS elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) snatched the Sangli seat from the Congress and as a result, there was sympathy across Sangli district for Vishal. “Now, the situation has changed as Jayashree (Patil) is contesting as an independent against Congress’s official candidate. It will be interesting to see how Vishal (Patil) and Jayashree approach voters and how the Congress reacts,” Deshpande said. Jayashree being in the fray with Vishal’s backing has made the contest triangular, according to him.