Mushrif’s name for Kagal a jolt to BJP’s Ghatage

Kolhapur: NCP president and deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s announcement on Sunday evening that minister Hasan Mushrif will be Mahayuti’s candidate for the assembly polls from Kagal has created ruffles within the ranks of BJP in Kolhapur district.
Pawar, while addressing a rally at Kagal, had said Maharashtra’s attention is towards assembly contest in Kagal constituency. “Mushrif has helped get funds for the development of the constituency.I hope that in this election too people of Kagal will elect him. This time the victory should be by such a huge margin that his opponents should be left stunned. He will be Mahayuti's candidate for the election,” Pawar had said.
The announcement of Mushrif's candidacy has given a clear indication to BJP leaders, especially to the district president of BJP, Samarjeetsinh Ghatage, to explore different options. In the 2019 assembly polls, the seat was left for Sena and he had to contest as an independent and lost.
After NCP joined the Mahayuti and Mushrif was made district guardian minister, Ghatage registered his objection with the BJP leaders. He has since then been claiming that he will be the BJP candidate for the assembly election.
Gurubal Mali, a political observer in Kolhapur, said, “Ghatage is left with three options now. One, to contest as an independent like he did in 2019, second is to join the MVA and third is to not contest at all. The third option is unlikely owing to his preparations for the last one-and-a-half decades.”
According to political observers, Mushrif, who has contested and won five assembly polls consecutively, has declared that the upcoming election will be his last. This announcement may sway the sentiments in his favour.