Maharashtra: Minister father, daughter split between NCP factions

State Nationalist Congress Party (SP) president Jayant Patil

Yet another political family split on Thursday when Bhagyashree Atram, the daughter of the Nationalist Congress Party minister Dharamraobaba Atram, left her father to return to the Sharad Pawar faction. Bhagyashree is expected to challenge her estranged father in the Aheri Assembly constituency (reserved for the scheduled tribes) in Gadchiroli district.

NCP-SP state president Jayant Patil inducted Bhagyashree in a public rally at Aheri, which is known for the erstwhile royal family (Gond kingdom) the Atram father and daughter belong to.

Bhagyashree Atram at the latter's induction into the Sharad Pawar faction

In the 2014 elections, the family had seen Dharamraobaba losing to a close relative Ambarish Raje Atram. Dharamraobaba won the 2019 elections. The Atrams have fought each other for the Aheri constituency since 1985. However, this time around it is expected to see a father-versus-daughter contest. Bhagyashree had lost the 2014 election from Gadchiroli (ST).

It is said that since the father could not get the NCP ticket for the Lok Sabha elections from Gadchiroli in 2014, the Aheri seat could not be vacated for his daughter. Considering the possibility of her father not leaving the seat for her, she chose to go back to the Sharad Pawar faction.