Maharashtra Pradesh Congress chief Nana Patole. File
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress chief Nana Patole asserted on Thursday that the State unit remains united, accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading rumours to divert attention from crucial issues in the State.
He addressed the rumours about some Congress MLAs not attending the Legislature Party meeting, clarifying that the two-day session at Lonavala is scheduled for Friday. “Rumours are being spread that our MLAs are not coming to the meeting today which is not true. The legislators will directly come to the party’s session tomorrow at Lonavala. A few are not coming due to personal reasons, but we are united,” the Congress leader said, alleging a deliberate attempt by the BJP to shift focus from critical issues such as farmers’ concerns and unemployment.
He accused the government of repeatedly misleading the public and diverting attention from pertinent matters.
Mr. Patole also claimed support from Congress allies, including Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray factions, expressing confidence in Rajya Sabha candidate Chandrakant Handore securing maximum votes. “Our Rajya Sabha candidate Mr. Handore will get votes from Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray factions and from our allies, including Samajwadi Party, Communist Party, and others,” he said.
Meanwhile, all six candidates who are in the fray for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra, including Congress turncoats Ashok Chavan and Milind Deora, filed their nomination papers here on Thursday. The elections in the State are likely to go unopposed considering the strength of the ruling allies and the opposition Congress in the Assembly.
The BJP fielded former Chief Minister Chavan, former MLA from Pune’s Kothrud Medha Kulkarni, and RSS worker Dr. Ajit Gopchade from Nanded. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party of Ajit Pawar nominated former Union Minister Praful Patel, while the Congress fielded Mr. Handore.
“My nomination is part of a political strategy and things will get clear in the coming days,” Mr. Patel said after filing his nomination papers.
The upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Maharashtra is scheduled on February 27, with results to be announced on the same day.