Maharashtra Congress to probe Chandrapur fiasco over Mayoral poll

Mumbai, Feb 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Maharashtra Congress has decided to form an inquiry committee into the party's fiasco at Chandrapur, where, despite emerging as the single largest party in the municipal corporation elections, it failed to win the Mayoral election, resulting in Bharatiya Janata Party's victory.

The political affairs committee of the party's state unit on Wednesday held a meeting in Mumbai to discuss the way forward. The issue of Congress losing the Mayoral election to the BJP in Chandrapur was discussed at the meeting.

“It was decided that a committee would probe the possible reasons for the loss and whether it was due to the infighting between the local leadership, which had caused the party's defeat. The report will be submitted to the All India Congress Committee,” said a senior party leader who attended the meeting.

Maharashtra Congress in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, addressing a press conference after the meeting, played down the controversy.

“While discussions were held with the MVA ally Shiv Sena - UBT to support Congress for the Mayor's post, they supported the BJP at the last minute. But the Congress party supported it in Parbhani to keep the BJP out of power. There are no internal disputes within the Congress in Chandrapur, and discussions were held with everyone,” he said.

The infighting between Congress Lok Sabha MP Pratibha Dhanorkar and Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar had led to two separate groups within the elected Congress corporators in Chandrapur.

Despite state leadership's intervention, the infighting continued so much that Wadettiwar took his group of corporators to Delhi along with party observers from the state. On the day of the election for the Mayoral post, despite Congress bridging its internal differences, the Shiv Sena-UBT sided with the BJP, ensuring a BJP mayor and securing the deputy mayor post for themselves.

Meanwhile, Chennithala said that the party will hold agitations to question the Mahayuti government on a range of issues, including farmers’ plight, unemployment, women's safety and deteriorating law and order.

At the press conference after chairing the party’s political affairs committee, he claimed that the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state are indulging only in politics in the name of development.

Chennithala said that local self-government elections were recently held in the state. In these elections, the ruling BJP-led alliance misused the administrative machinery on a large scale and spent huge amounts of money.

He questioned the source of this money and alleged that the ruling party had murdered democracy. Despite adverse conditions, Congress workers fought fearlessly against oppression and achieved good success.

He further alleged that the BJP government is mired in scams and that investments are not coming to Maharashtra but are instead going to the neighbouring state of Gujarat.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has no time to focus on the state’s development and remains preoccupied with politics and internal disputes, he said.

Commenting on the aircraft accident involving Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Chennithala said the incident was extremely unfortunate.

“If members of Ajit Pawar’s family have demanded a CBI inquiry, then the Central government should conduct such an investigation,” he added.

Regarding the Rajya Sabha elections, he said that no one has yet contacted the Congress party. When such a proposal is made, a decision will be taken after consulting the party leadership.

Source: IANS