A single judge bench of the Nagpur division of the Bombay High Court found former minister and Indian National Congress leader Sunil Kedar’s conviction Kedar has created problems for the leadership and his lawyers say he will not be able to contest the next election and his wife will likely stand for him.
Kedar, one of the leading Indian National Congress leaders in the Vidarbha region, played a key role within the party in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Kedar has consistently represented Sabnar Assembly constituency for the past five terms. He was the Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development during the MVA government. He was convicted in a 25-year-old case pertaining to the alleged corruption scandal in the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank. Last year, Kedar was convicted in the case and sentenced to five years in prison. As a result, he was disqualified as a member of the state assembly and barred from contesting elections. Though he was granted bail, a single judge’s court did not allow him to contest elections.
Leaders close to Kedar said though it was a personal setback for him, his wife was likely to contest in his seat. Known for his organisational skills, Kedar played a key role in Congress winning the Ramtek seat. An aggressive leader, Kedar toured the area and was instrumental in reinvigorating the party’s nearly disintegrated field unit in the run up to the elections. The former minister was in Pune to oversee the campaign of Ravindra Dhangekar, who lost the election.
Even when the BJP swept through Vidarbha, Kedar held on to the seat for the BJP. He has been successful in winning the Nagpur state assembly seat for the BJP over the years. The traditionally large party won six of the eight Lok Sabha seats from Vidarbha. If the trend continues in the state elections, the party will be leading in a significant number of seats from the region. Kedar is yet to show his cards, but leaders close to him say he may play the role of a key organiser for the region in the upcoming state elections.
© Indian Express Ltd.
First uploaded: 07 Aug 2024 20:54 IST
