05 March,2014 06:48 AM IST | | Priyankka Deshpande
To avoid division of votes between the two parties and others gaining from it, Navbharat Democratic Party Pune candidate Vinita Deshmukh chose to give up her spot, keeping the anti-corruption goal in mind
In a well-thought but sudden move, Lok Sabha candidate Vinita Deshmukh from the newly-formed Navbharat Democratic Party (NBDP) announced the withdrawal of her candidature from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency yesterday.
Stepping aside: Vinita Deshmukh says her key aim is to fight corruption. File Pics
Deshmukh asserted that with her party participating in the poll race, it could cut into the vote share of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). And since both the parties are fighting for the same anti-corruption goal, Deshmukh decided to see the bigger picture and step down.
Harshvardhan Sukhatme
Her decision to withdraw her name was soon emulated by party candidate Harshavardhan Sukhatme, who was to contest from Maval constituency on NBDP's ticket. He too announced his withdrawal from contesting the elections yesterday.
"My sole purpose behind fighting this election was to bring in a non corrupt political system in the city," Deshmukh said.
"The voters would get confused as to which candidate they should vote for, if the parties they are representing would fight the LS election on the same agenda of anti-corruption. It might be possible that Congress and BJP will benefit from this vote division and that is the main reason why I withdrew my candidature," added Deshmukh.
A former journalist, Deshmukh spent almost 26 years in the field and was involved in various social service activities. As soon as NBDP launched in Delhi in August last year, Deshmukh's candidature was also announced in the same month.
Her party colleague Sukhatme said that it was a collective decision. "In Maharashtra, we do not have the âmuscle' power; on the other hand AAP has thousands of dedicated volunteers. It makes no sense to cut down their (AAP) voters," said Sukhatme.
However, according to the party's national vice-president Suresh Bangara, these decisions would not affect the party's credibility in the upcoming LS elections. "We are still contesting eight LS seats in Uttar Pradesh, along with two seats in Bangalore and one seat in Kochi and Noida," Bangara said. He, however, denied that his party would support AAP in the elections.
>> After Deshmukh withdrew her name, Maval constituency candidate Harshavardhan Sukhatme also followed suit
>> Deshmukh and Sukhatme made the announcement on Facebook
