While on his trip to north Maharashtra to take stock of his party’s growth in the region, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole was abruptly called to Delhi, giving rise to yet another round of speculation upon the already shaky political ground seen in Maharashtra. While the Congress has claimed that Mr. Patole’s visit to Delhi was for organisational reasons, the timing has raised eyebrows.
“It’s likely that we will be electing an Assembly Speaker in the upcoming monsoon session of the State legislature. The leaders in Delhi needed to speak about this. At the same time, several BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) MLAs want to join the Congress party in the coming time. That issue also needs to be discussed,” Mr. Patole said, when asked about his trip to Delhi, due on Friday. He said that he would be meeting former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
Mr. Patole ridiculed the attempt to link his meeting with causing instability in the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance ruling the State. “I am the president of Maharashtra Congress and will naturally think about making my party stronger. But that does not mean I have problems with the other parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Those who think that this government will fall should stop daydreaming. We will work for five years,” he said.
Two days ago, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting with non-Congress, non-BJP leaders, which was seen as an attempt to create a front at the national level.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has slammed the Congress for its stand on going solo in future polls. The Sena has raised questions on Congress’ ability to lead a national front against the BJP.