Till mid-August, Shrirang Barne was the face of the Congress in Pimpri-Chinchwad. But when Barne, who has been with the party for the last 15 years, decided to contest his first election from Chinchwad, he turned to the Shiv Sena. Reason: His long-standing rivalry with Bhausaheb Bhoir, now a Congress candidate from Chinchwad seat.

“I was not happy with the work of the Congress-NCP alliance and though I have been doing a lot of work, they were sidelining me. I felt humiliated. I have been taking on the NCP in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for the last many years, though they are now our alliance partner. I decided to join a party that was willing to give me an opportunity to work, even if it means changing my ideologies,” he said.

It was only four-five months back that Barne was under attack from Sena men for trying to fight Lok Sabha polls as a Sena candidate from Maval. Barne then backed out and started working for Sena candidate Gajanand Babar. Barne proved to be the perfect fold against NCP and Sena never forgot; the party rewarded him with a ticket for the Assembly elections.

Today, Babar is among the chief campaigners for Barne.

Barne brought with him nearly 1,000 Congressmen to the Sena camp. “I know how the opposition will function and I can draw my campaign strategies accordingly,” he said. He also is hoping that NCP rebels would prove a dampner for the Congress.

... contd.