Pune, Feb 7 (IANS): The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced Nana Kate as the joint Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance candidate for the Chinchwad Assembly bypolls to be held on February 26.

The decision to field Kate - a former municipal corporator - was taken by state NCP President Jayant Patil after deliberations with party bigwigs like Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar and others.

A former Chinchwad party unit president, he will lock horns with Bharatiya Janata Party's Ashwini L. Jagtap, the widow of the late sitting MLA Laxman Jagtap.

Soon after his nomination, another aspirant for the NCP ticket and a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rahul Tanaji Kalate, announced that he would file his papers as an independent candidate for Chinchwad.

Kalate had earlier given a tough fight to the BJP's Jagtap in 2019 and this time was seeking the NCP ticket for the Chinchwad Assembly by-elections.

The Sena (UBT) leaders had last week staked a claim to contest the Chinchwad seat, but the NCP declined to oblige the ally.

Meanwhile, Kate will go in a procession to file his nomination papers in which Patil, Pawar and others are likely to participate.

With NCP's Kate and a MVA rebel Kalate in the fray, the political calculations Chinchwad bypolls may turn in favour of Ashwini Jagtap for the upcoming poll tussle.

The MVA and BJP will now be engaged in a straight fight in the by-elections for both Pune seats - Chinchwad and Kasbapeth.