Resentment in Congress over ally getting Sangli

A day after the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition finalised its seatsharing deal, resentment among the Congress leadership and cadre over the Sangli and Mumbai South Central seats being ceded to the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena (UBT) continued to simmer with local Congress leaders urging the MVA leadership to reconsider its decision on the contentious seats.

Meetings were held in Sangli’s PalusKadegaon which were presided by Congressman and MLA Vishwajeet Kadam and Vishal Patil, the grandson of late Congress stalwart and former CM of Maharashtra, Vasantdada Patil, who is the aspirant for the Sangli Lok Sabha seat.

Local Cong. leaders urge MVA leadership to reconsider its decision on the contentious seat

Meeting in Mumbai

Simultaneously, a meeting was held in Mumbai by Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad, an aspirant for the Mumbai South Central seat.

The Congress cadre and local leadership is upset that Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) chose to unilaterally declare the names of wrestler Chandrahar Patil and Thackeray confidante Anil Desai for the Sangli and Mumbai South Central seats, respectively, even as parleys among the MVA partners were on.

Congress bastion

Speaking to reporters in Sangli following a meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Kadam urged the MVA leadership to reconsider its decision on Sangli after studying the political history of the constituency, which has remained a Congress bastion in western Maharashtra for over halfacentury since 1962.

While hinting that the Sena (UBT) had no real ground strength in Sangli, Mr. Kadam observed that the Congress had two MLAs while a third Assembly segment was held by NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction leader Suman Patil, wife of the late Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil.