Mumbai: After state unit president Nana Patole, the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief Bhai Jagtap on Saturday urged party leadership to allow them to go solo in the ensuing elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation.
Jagtap said, "Until yesterday, people were not taking the cognizance of Congress. Today they are just watching what the Congress is doing. So be it Mumbai or Maharashtra. I have a request for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi allow us to fight alone.’’
Jagtap chose to vent his feelings at the function on the occasion of the birthday of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Jagtap’s statement came when both Shiv Sena and NCP have separately indicated that they will fight the coming BMC and assembly together if Congress decides to fight independently. However, both have said that three parties are constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and the alliance should continue in future too.
However, the Congress party in charge of Maharashtra HK Patil said the party high command will take a decision on going solo in upcoming elections in Maharashtra. He said further strengthening party organisation will be the resolve on the occasion of Rahul Gandhi’s birthday.
Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said party workers will need to strive for the Congress party to regain the number one position in the state.
Former union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said Patole’s call to fight assembly elections independently was to keep the morale of party workers high and also to further strengthen the party organisation.
On the other hand, Public Work Minister Ashok Chavan said a lot of party leaders, who have joined BJP, are keen for their ghar wapsi and the party should facilitate their entry at the earliest.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sunil Deshmukh, who had left Congress party in 2014 and joined the saffron party, on Saturday re-joined. Deshmukh, who hails from Amravati, had been the minister of state during the Congress-NCP government in the state.
Commenting on Jagtap’s go solo announcement, Shiv Sena legislator Manisha Kayande said that there are no elections at present, so the Maha Vikas Aghadi is strong and the state government will last for five years.
