Maha Cong to discuss plan for local elections
MUMBAI: Newly appointed parliamentary board of the Maharashtra Congress will deliberate on the strategy for the forthcoming municipal corporation and district council elections and the stance on rising fuel prices and farm laws during its meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The party recently announced a 32-member parliamentary board consisting of all major leaders from the state, while appointing Nana Patole as its new state head. The first meeting of the board will take place in Mumbai on Tuesday. According to party leaders, the board will discuss its strategy for the elections slated to be announced soon for five municipal corporations, two district councils and 98 nagar panchayats.
The board meeting will be attended by the party’s state in-charge HK Patil, legislative leader Balasaheb Thorat, former chief ministers Ashok
Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan, and state ministers among others.
“The elections are important for the party to widen its base and acquire power at the local level. The alliance with the two other ruling parties — the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — for these elections will also be discussed, besides giving party leaders at the local level a road map for the polls. The parliamentary board meeting will be followed by meetings with local leaders and office-bearers from respective local bodies from February 24 to 26. Leaders from Thane, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-virar, Kolhapur and Aurangabad will discuss election strategy and the issues faced at the local level,” a party leader said.
The Congress is also expected to announce statewide protest against the Central government over rising fuel prices and farm laws. “The parliamentary board may also discuss the stand to be taken in Maharashtra against the implementation of the contentious farm laws passed by the parliament. The central leadership of the Congress has insisted upon separate laws in Maharashtra to negate the central laws. Congress ministers in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government are expected to push for the same,” said the leader.