The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Mumbai): The Maharashtra unit of the Congress party was thrust into a state of emergency following the unexpected resignation of Ashok Chavan, a prominent figure and former Chief Minister. This development spurred immediate measures to prevent any additional departures from the party.
Nana Patole, the head of the state Congress, promptly departed for Chhattisgarh to confer with Rahul Gandhi, who is there for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Patole is also set to travel to New Delhi to deliberate over the situation with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and other high-ranking officials.
In Mumbai, key party figures including former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Congress Legislature Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat, and Working President of the state party, M. Arif Naseem Khan, engaged in extensive discussions about the repercussions of Ashok Chavan’s departure. This meeting occurred just as preparations for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections were getting underway.
Prithviraj Chavan later announced that a meeting of the state legislature party would be held on Wednesday or Thursday to address this issue and other elements related to the impending Rajya Sabha elections.
Khan disclosed that senior party leaders have initiated efforts to communicate with all Congress legislators and leaders, countering claims by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena that some are considering joining them.
Despite assertions from the opposition, both Chavan and Khan are confident that no additional MLAs or leaders are looking to defect, even though there is speculation that the BJP might unveil some surprises in the Rajya Sabha elections.
With 45 MLAs in the Assembly, the Congress is the largest party in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Ashok Chavan is believed to have the allegiance of over a dozen legislators. The MVA’s other allies, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP), have significantly weakened following splits in June 2022 and July 2023, respectively.
Party leaders are voicing serious concerns over the party’s current challenges, especially in light of similar situations faced by SS-UBT and NCP-SP, and are calling for urgent action from the party’s state and central leadership.
Key figures in the MVA, including former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Ambadas Danve, Sanjay Raut, Priyanka Chaturvedi (all from SS-UBT), Supriya Sule, Dr. Jitendra Awhad, Rohit R. Pawar, Clyde Crasto (all from NCP-SP), Prakash Ambedkar, Siddharth Mokle (VBA), and Congress leaders like Vijay Wadettiwar and Atul Londhe, have expressed strong disapproval of Ashok Chavan’s departure.
Meanwhile, leaders of the ruling BJP, such as state President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, have hinted that more leaders and legislators might soon join their ranks, despite the determined front shown by the Congress leadership in Maharashtra.