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Patole recommends disbanding Congress state committee

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has also requested the party to relieve him from his duties as the party's state unit chief as his tenure is near completion.

Maharashtra Assembly Monsoon Session: Nana Patole and other MVA legislators protested against alleged derogatory remarks by Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar about farmers. (Express Photo)

Following the drubbing Maharashtra Congress received at the recent State Assembly polls, state Congress chief Nana Patole has written to party president Mallikarjun Kharge recommending that the State Congress Committee be disbanded.

Patole has also requested the party to relieve him from his duties as the party’s state unit chief as his tenure is near completion. The e-mail was sent two days ago. It is likely to be discussed in the December 17 meeting of party MLAs and leaders in Nagpur which will be chaired by AICC in-charge of the state unit Ramesh Chennithala. Group leader of the legislative party is also likely to be chosen at the meeting.

As per sources within Congress, Patole has e-mailed his recommendations to Kharge. “In the e-mail, he said that since his appointment as party president four years ago, he has been working to strengthen the organisation and the results were visible in local body, council and Lok Sabha election,” the source confirmed.

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The e-mail also mentioned that the reasons for the unsatisfactory Assembly poll results are known to the party leadership. “He has recommended that the party’s state committee be disbanded and has offered to step down from the post as his four-year tenure is nearing completion,” the leader said.

Patole has not yet received any response from the Congress leadership. A meeting of the party’s MLAs and losing candidates has been organised in Nagpur on December 17 where contents of the letter are likely to be discussed.

In addition, the party leadership is also in talks with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs to finalise the future course of action.

The party managed only 16 seats of the 101 it contested in Assembly elections, making it the party’s worst performance in Maharashtra since independence.

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