Top Congress leaders finally join campaigning in Vashi civic bypolls

VASHI: The campaigning for the byelection in ward 54 of Vashi on April 7 has peaked with the Congress party too finally making its presence felt. The party has blamed Shiv Sena candidate Vitthal More for forcing the byelection on the people of the ward leading waste of public money.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which More quit to join the Shiv Sena, too has blamed him for the same.

The Congress party which had been missing from the campaigning so far for its can- didate Eknath Dukhande held a press conference on Tuesday. While the party took potshots at NCP, its main target was More.

The elections are being seen as primarily a fight between NCP candidate Vijaya Thakur and More.

Top leaders from the city and MPCC general secretary Ganesh Patil, were present for the conference.

Said Navi Mumbai Congress president Dashrath Bhagat, “More first quit the Shiv Sena and joined NCP. He has now quit NCP and joined Sena. He has betrayed the residents who had elected him. Public money is being wasted to hold this by- election, for which only he is responsible.”