Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and Legislative Party leader Balasaheb Thorat attended the party's executive committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. This was the first joint public appearance by the two senior leaders after the Legislative Council polls in the state, and the subsequent resignation of Thorat from his post. At a press conference after the meeting, Patole claimed that reports of a feud between him and Thorat was a “diversion” created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During the executive committee meeting, senior leaders asked party workers to start preparing for the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls as both elections are likely to be held together. Former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan were among the other senior leaders who attended the executive committee meeting. "I have been saying from day one that there is no infighting in the party. I was also asking the media to show me the resignation letter (of Thorat) but I haven't seen any. We, as Congress party, stand together and we will win all elections as a party," Patole said at the press conference. Patole claimed that the BJP wanted a “diversion” to avoid reporting on its defeat in the Municipal Council polls and therefore the “non-existent infighting” was highlighted. When asked about differences of opinion with Patole, Thorat said every issue within the party need not be discussed on a public platform. "There are issues in every party and when we will go to the Raipur conference, we will discuss everything. It is just that issues within our party are discussed extensively in the media," said Thorat. Despite repeatedly being asked about his resignation letter, Thorat maintained that the cordial relations between all leaders of Congress were visible at the meeting on Wednesday. The party's Maharashtra in-charge, H K Patil, had on Sunday held a meeting with Thorat at the latter’s residence in the wake of his resignation from the Congress Legislative Party chief's post, citing differences with Patole and saying it was impossible to work with him. Patil had then said that Thorat's resignation letter has not been accepted by the party. Thorat had also written a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in which he had accused Patole of conspiring against him and said that it would not be possible for him to work with the latter. Thorat's resignation had come after months of growing but silent discontent against Patole over his alleged autocratic manner of functioning. Earlier in the meeting, Ashok Chavan said, "The political situation in Maharashtra is volatile. The results of the Council polls in the state have put fear in the. Shinde-Fadnavis government and therefore the local body polls are being delayed. There is a possibility that Assembly and general elections are held together and therefore we should start preparing for them from today."
