Cong plans a Telangana for Vidarbha

Moves are afoot in New Delhi to set up a separate Congress committee for Vidarbha in eastern Maharashtra. This committee, on the lines of th...

Moves are afoot in New Delhi to set up a separate Congress committee for Vidarbha in eastern Maharashtra. This committee, on the lines of the Telangana Congress Committee in Andhra Pradesh, will be announced shortly, party sources said. Senior leader Uttamrao Patil and the Minister of State for Energy Manikrao Thakre have emerged as the main contenders to head this committee.

Though this plan has been on the anvil for sometime now, it gained momentum once again after the party8217;s debacle in the Vidarbha region in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls. After sustained consultations with State leaders, the All India Congress Committee is firm on setting up a Vidarbha Congress Committee.

The reports received from senior State leaders from the region by party president Sonia Gandhi indicate that the Vidarbha Congress Committee is now a necessity. The party is keen on this committee now as Congress workers in the region are disgruntled. Their anger is the prime cause for the Congress debacle in Vidarbha, despite having candidates with elective merit, said AICC sources.

Speaking to The Indian Express, MP and president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee confirmed that plans are afoot to formulate the committee. 8216;8216;Yes, it is under serious consideration,8217;8217; said Kamat. This move by the high command is significant in the wake of the forthcoming Assembly polls scheduled for October.

It is common knowledge that the Congress has lost base in Vidarbha; the Lok Sabha results indicate the same. The Congress loss has been the gain of Mayawati8217;s BSP. The party has made significant inroads in the Vidarbha belt. Out of the 11 Parliamentary seats in the region, the Congress managed to win only one. It lost the other eight due to the votes polled by the BSP.

Said a senior party leader, 8216;8216;The Congress has failed to anticipate the rise of the BSP in the region. We did not address the problems of the cadre, so they got very disgruntled. Madam has to tighten the party in Maharashtra, otherwise we will not come back to power after the Assembly polls.8217;8217;

Incidentally8212;according to information with The Indian Express-there is an widening group within the state Congress which endorses this sentiment.

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For public consumption, some months ago senior Vidarbha Congress leaders Vasant Sathe and N K P Salve announced their decision to break away from the party and establish an independent rebel committee for the region.