Mani D'mello

 

Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan along with Maharashtra Pradesh Congress chief Manikarao Thakre and Mumbai Congress Committee president Janardan Chandurkar met the Congress high command Delhi on Wednesday. The day long parleys were centered round taking control of the political situation post-parliamentary polls debacle in Maharashtra, including Mumbai and envisaging the party’s strategy to retain power in the state assembly polls which is likely to be scheduled in October.

 

There were rumours making its round in political circles that either Chavan or Thakre were to be replaced and hence the Congress senior leaders A K Anthony and Ahmed Patel had summoned them to Delhi.

 

However, it is learnt from reliable sources in the Congress that Chavan, Thakre and Chandurkar jointly met Anthony and Patel, to discuss the parliamentary poll debacle and chalk out the strategy for the meeting with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar the following day.

 

It is believed that there was no discussion on the issue of change of leadership either in the party or the state government and the discussion revolved around devising a strategy to checkmate Pawar’s arm-twisting tactics, in anticipation that Pawar would try to dominate in the pre-poll alliance meeting.

 

It is learnt that the Congress leadership is in no mood to overhaul either the leadership in the state party unit or government and is likely to go the assembly polls without rocking its ship as there is very little time left for carrying out fire-fighting measures post-parliamentary polls’ dismal show.

As anticipated by the Congress leadership, at the closed door between Pawar and Congress leaders Patel and Anthony, Pawar made a strong demand for replacing Chavan and even threatened to go to the polls alone if Chavan is not replaced immediately.

 

The two Congress leaders only assured Pawar that they would convey his demand to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and were in no position to give him an assurance that Chavan would be shown the door on the eve of the state legislative elections which is around four months away.

 

Pawar’s demand for Chavan’s removal was based on the state NCP leadership being up in arms against Chavan unduly delaying on clearing development projects in the state and sidelining the NCP in the running of the government.

 

“There is no urgency felt by the Congress leadership to replace either Chavan or Thakare and it is left to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi to take a final call on the replacement issue. The party leadership however is not keen on moving out either Chavan or Thakre, as it could prove to be suicidal on the eve of the assembly polls as there is not much of time on hand to refurbish the government or party,” claimed a senior Congress leader in Mumbai.