From a member of Block Panchayat in Hingoli district of the underdeveloped Marathwada region to chairman of Congress party's Screening Committee for Delhi Vidhan Sabha Elections, Rajeev Satav,45, has come a long way. Satav's appointment comes when the Congress party is a divided house and it has no member in the Delhi assembly.
Congress, which failed to form an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party, went solo and lost all 7 seats in Delhi in the Lok Sabha electionS. Satav, who is a close confidant of Congress party's former president Rahul Gandhi, was chosen considering his active role in Gujarat and Punjab assembly elections and also his participation in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and other states in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Satav told FPJ,'' With the selection of right candidates, the Congress party will do well in Delhi assembly elections. Will work collectively to ensure a party's victory.''
Satav was an active team member led by a veteran leader Ashok Gehlot during the Gujarat assembly election held in 2017 when he travelled extensively. Congress put up a strong fight against BJP to win maximum seats. His appointment as in-charge of Gujarat after his stint as the AICC secretary in charge of the Saurashtra region came handy to revive the party. As member of the party's screening committee for the Punjab assembly election held the same year, he was instrumental for the Congress defeating Akali Dal in the state.
Satav is a Permanent Invitee to Congress Working Committee which is the highest decision-making body of Indian National Congress. He had held the posts of president of Indian Youth Congress and Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress.
Satav hogged the limelight after he defeated Subhash Wankhede, Shiv Sena MP and a three-time MLA. He won the Kalamnuri Assembly seat from the Shiv Sena after 20 years in the 2009 elections. Later, Gandhi chose Satav as the party candidate from Hingoli in 2014 election when he defeated Subhash Wankhede by 1,600 votes despite the Modi wave. He was one of the two Congress candidates to win from Maharashtra, other being former chief minister Ashok Chavan.
Satav did not fight the 2019 Lok Sabha election citing he would like to concentrate on his responsibility as a party in-charge in Gujarat Congress.
