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Congress sitting MP has a tough time getting NCP leaders, disgruntled party colleagues to campaign for him

As the Congress sitting MP Suresh Kalmadi gets ready to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Pune constituency, two factors will play a major role in the outcome.

The first is whether the NCP will really back him and whether disgruntled party collegues, who are upset because they did not get the ticket, will campaign for him.

For instance, the District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar (NCP), a known Kalmadi detractor had recently announced that the next Lok Sabha MP from Pune should be a Maharashtrian (Kalmadi is of Kannadiga origin).
 
He also added that Kalmadi should settle for a Rajya Sabha seat and make way for younger people.

Two prominent Congress leaders, MLC Mohan Joshi and the former state minister Balasaheb Shivarkar, who had hoped to get the party ticket for the Lok Sabha polls, remained conspicuous by their absence at a press meet organised by Kalmadi yesterday.

Joshi, when contacted by MiD DAY, said, "I was neither informed nor invited. Why would I come? I deserved to get the party ticket. But I am a loyal soldier of the party, and I will do whatever Soniaji wants."

Kalmadi is optimistic that the differences will get ironed out and he will win the elections with a good margin.