'Go Solo for Assembly Polls' .. PRAKASH AMBEDKAR SAYS,

'Go Solo for Assembly Polls'

Saturday, June 08, 2019

By A Special Correspondent

While Prakash Ambedkar says VBA will go solo for Assembly polls, the Congress cadres claimed that the NCP did not help Congress in the recently held Lok Sabha elections and instead they helped the ruling BJP.

Congress cadres yesterday vented their ire against their ally the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) urging the state leadership to go solo in the ensuing assembly elections. Party cadres attending the assembly poll preparedness meeting held at Tilak Bhavan, Dadar complained that the NCP did not help the Congress in the recently held Lok Sabha elections and instead they helped the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The cadres instead implored the party leadership of considering having a pre-poll alliance with the Prakash Ambedkar led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).  

Speaking to newspersons, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan alleged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to split Congressmen. He expressed confidence that none of the Congressmen will leave the party and join the BJP. The Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are fought on different issues. The picture presented in the Lok Sabha polls will not be there for the Assembly polls.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar, however, on the other hand gave a cold shoulder to the Congress cadres talk of pre-poll alliance for the ensuing assembly elections. Speaking to newspersons here, the VBA leader demanded that the Congress should first clarify about their views regarding the VBA. He said that the during the recent Lok Sabha polls the Congress had alleged that the VBA was the B team of the BJP.

Alleging that Fadnavis was leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to wean Congress MLAs and leaders to the BJP. In a sarcastic jibe at former Congressman Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Chavan remarked that for some getting a phone call from

the Chief Minister was akin to getting a call from the lord almighty. He added that before getting feedback from the Congress allies, the party will get the feedback from the people and hence the district wise meetings are being held. Chavan stated that wherever the party has fared badly in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the respective district and taluka unit chiefs have tendered their resignations from their posts.

Chavan denied that the meeting discussed probable seat sharing with its allies. He added that many attendees to the meeting called for a pre-poll alliance with the VBA and have favored such an alliance. Lashing out at former Congressman Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil whose son Dr Sujay Vikhe-Patil won from Ahmednagar Lok Sabha constituency, he remarked that such misplaced confidence based on just one victory is not proper.  He added that Vikhe-Patil senior did not show the same aggressiveness against the government when he was in the opposition ranks.