Nagpur: In a rebellious move, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader Abha Pande filed her nomination on Thursday as an independent candidate for the East Nagpur Assembly seat.
Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officially renominating sitting MLA Krishna Khopde, Pande has chosen to enter the fray, becoming the first rebel candidate from Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP. Her decision to run independently signals a significant challenge to the party leadership.
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Speaking to media after submitting her nomination form at the District Collectorate following a vehicle rally from Wardhaman Nagar, Pande confirmed her determination to contest the election.
“I have made up my mind to run from East Nagpur, regardless of whether the party officially backs me. I am standing up for the people here,” she declared. Her rally marked the start of what promises to be a contentious campaign.
Pande further explained that since joining the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, now an ally of the Mahayuti, she had made her intentions clear about contesting the East Nagpur Assembly seat.
“I had sought the party ticket as well, but the BJP declared its sitting MLA Krishna Khopde as the candidate for this seat,” she said. “As the people of this constituency wanted me to fight the election, I too dared to take the step,” she added.
