With infighting in the Maharashtra Congress spilling out in the open, the party high command in Delhi has asked state in charge H K Patil to rush to Mumbai on Sunday. Patil will visit Balasaheb Thorat on Sunday morning, where he is likely to ask the latter to withdraw his resignation from the post of the Congress legislative party (CLP) leader. Thorat had resigned from the post, citing differences with state Congress president Nana Patole. While Patil will review the party's 'Hath se Hath Jodo' campaign, he will also chair an important meeting of all senior state leaders in the evening. Patole will attend the meeting, said party sources. Thorat's resignation comes in the wake of his nephew and former Maharashtra Youth Congress president Satyajeet Tambe winning the recently-held Legislative Council polls as an Independent. Satyajeet's father Sudhir Tambe was given the party ticket but he refused to file nomination. Both have now been suspended from the party. After winning the election, Satyajeet had narrated to the media how despite informing the state party that he wanted to contest, he was given false AB forms. He had alleged that there was a calculated conspiracy to defame Thorat, his uncle, and oust his family from Congress. Thorat's resignation comes amid months of growing but silent discontent against Patole over his alleged “autocratic” manner of functioning. Thorat's letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge where he had accused Patole of conspiring against him had also listed how he was humiliated by the state party chief. Further, the letter mentioned instances of statements made against Thorat's family members in public and how the entire Satyajeet Tambe episode was intentionally heightened, instead of being quelled. Thorat reportedly also mentioned that he was targeted in party meetings and it was difficult to work under Patole’s leadership.
