Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday said that the decision to contest the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election alone will be taken by the party.
In a veiled attack on the ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the context of a past assembly election, Nana Patole said his party was "cheated" in 2014 and it is now preparing for the 2024 general elections keeping that in mind.
"The decision to contest the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly election alone will be taken by the party, like Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) took decision in 2014, we have our own strategy," Nana Patole said.
Speaking to reporters, Patole also said he was given the task to attack the opposition BJP and not the Sharad Pawar-led party or the Shiv Sena- all constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
"We (Congress) were cheated in 2014 (polls). We are now preparing for the next Lok Sabha elections keeping that in mind," said Patole, who often talks about the Congress contesting future elections solo.
Patole recently kicked up a row when he sought to suggest that the MVA government was keeping an eye over his movements and claimed that allies Shiv Sena and NCP feel the ground was slipping from beneath their feet due to his party's growing influence.
As his remarks caused a flutter, Patole on Monday claimed wrong information was being spread through the media and asserted there was no dispute among MVA allies and the Congress was being deliberately targeted.
Earlier, Patole had asked Congress workers to install a party leader in the chair of Pune guardian minister, a charge currently held by Deputy Chief Minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar.
When asked about Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Wednesday observed that the Congress is forced on the backfoot in several states, Patole said, "The editorial also said that the way I have brought liveliness in the party, it should be replicated in other parts too. One should read it carefully."
Commenting on senior Maharashtra Congress leaders, including revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, state in-charge H K Patil and PWD minister Ashok Chavan, meeting Sharad Pawar on Tuesday evening excluding him, Patole said, "I was not invited for the meeting. I was later told by my party colleagues that the meeting was about a proposed agitation against the BJP and its anti-OBC policies."
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
