Thane/Mumbai, April 7 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed hope on Tuesday that the Congress party would respect "public sentiment" and ensure an unopposed election in the Baramati assembly constituency by withdrawing its candidate against Deputy CM and NCP president Sunetra Pawar.
The Congress reacted sharply, saying Fadnavis's remarks reflected the "height of hypocrisy".
The seat fell vacant after the death of Sunetra's husband and then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28. Polling is scheduled for April 23, and votes will be counted on May 4.
Addressing reporters in Mira-Bhayander after inaugurating the first phase of Metro Line 9 corridor, Fadnavis said that the people of Baramati desire a consensus candidate in light of the tragic circumstances.
"Public sentiment is with Sunetra Pawar. I expect that the Congress party will value the public sentiment. People want Sunetraji to be elected without opposition," said the chief minister.
Fadnavis said that if the Congress withdraws from the poll fray, it would mean respecting the memory of Ajit Pawar.
His appeal came a day after Congress candidate Akash More filed his nomination papers against Sunetra Pawar, ignoring the calls for an unopposed election.
The last date for withdrawal from the poll fray is April 9.
The opposition NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) have not fielded candidates as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Deputy CM.
The Congress has maintained that it will consider withdrawing from the poll fray if a first information report (FIR) is registered in the plane crash that killed Ajit Pawar.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal hit back at Fadnavis, saying his remarks are akin to "lecturing others while not changing oneself".
He alleged that Fadnavis was actually ignoring public sentiment.
"The real sentiment of the people of Maharashtra is that doubts surrounding Ajit Pawar's plane crash, whether it was an accident or sabotage, must be clarified," the Congress leader said in a statement.
He added that Fadnavis could have fulfilled his duty by immediately registering an FIR and initiating a fair and impartial investigation into the crash, but "he has failed to do so and is instead ignoring the issue".