Cong yet to decide whether Chavan will be MLA or MLC

Chavan a member of the Rajya Sabha,chosen recently to head the state government,would have to become either an MLA or an MLC within six months.

Independent MLA from Maan in Chavan’s homedistrict Satara,Jaikumar Gore,has offered to quit to pave the way for Chavan to contest the resulting by-election. Gore,who contested the 2009 Assembly election as a Congress rebel,had defeated NCP’s Sadashiv Pol and BJP’s Dilip Yelgaonkar.

Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief Kripashankar Singh,who is the MLA from Kalina (Mumbai Suburban district),has also offered to quit in favour of Chavan.

“Some Congress legislators have offered to quit allowing the chief minister to contest,but the final decision is yet to be taken…it is also not been decided whether he should become an MLA or an MLC,” Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre said. There is a likelihood of Chavan contesting an Assembly seat,he added.

However,several leaders within the party,say that Congressmen offering to quit were trying to get in the good books of Chavan,who is a new entrant in state politics. One of them,on the condition of anonymity,pointed out that Singh had been keen on becoming a minister in Chavan cabinet,but was kept out apparently because of his name being linked to the scam allegedly involving former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda.

Although Gore has offered his seat to Chavan,it is unlikely that the party would finalise it,as the seat belongs to the NCP as per the Congress-NCP seatsharing formula. As Gore had contested as a Congress rebel,the party is not comfortable with it.

Chavan is likely to contest from his homedistrict Satara. Of the eight Assembly seats in the district,NCP represents four and Independents (including Gore) represent four. That leaves only one Congress MLA,Vilas Patil,from Karad North. Sources said that the selection of seat for Chavan would be a sensitive issue for the party,which would hunt for the safest seat.