Congmen close ranks for poll drive

Even long time foes S B Chavan and Sudhakarrao Naik are expected to rub shoulders with Pawar on other campaign tours though their exact schedules have not been worked out yet.

MPCC general secretary Gurunath Kulkarni says his party’s morale is now high, not just because the success of Sonia Gandhi’s Nandurbar meeting but also because a halt has been called to factionalism within the State unit.“We are drawing up a detailed list of the campaign of other leaders as well.

They will join Pawar at different places. They will also campaign outside their own constituencies, as Pawar will in theirs. The idea is tospread the leaders out as far as possible so that our campaign can be more effective,” Kulkarni told The Indian Express, a departure from the last four elections since 1990, when Pawar was the sole campaigner, after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. In 1996, Pawar bypassed constituencies like Satara and Raigad where his detractors were put up under the guise that he had no time to visit them during his one-man campaign.

According to sources, Sonia’s refusal to play ball vis-a-vis factional wars in various state units has now left Pawar and his detractors little option but to close ranks.Satara, where Pawar and Gadgil will sound the bugle of their last ditch battle for the control of the sugar belt, is expected to send a message to sugar barons who have been deserting Congress in the belief that there is no future with their old party.

The constituency, which is currently with the Sena, has a new Congress face this time: that of former Minister for Co-operation Abhay Sinh Raje Bhonsle, a descendant ofShivaji. The royal card is expected to counter any others that the Sena-BJP may have up their sleeve, given that Bhonsle’s nephew, Udayan Raje Bhonsle recently switched to the BJP.

…but MPCC spokesman Mahajan quits post

Spokesman of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Ratnakar Mahajan today resigned from the post. Mahajan, who held the post for the last two years, said in a letter to MPCC president Ranjit Deshmukh that he was quitting as “it is not possible for me to discharge my duties in the current circumstances”. Mahajan, who sent copies of the letter to the media, also thanked newsmen for extending him “all the cooperation during the time I was MPCC spokesman”. Deshmukh was not available for comment.