Thakres march stalled

The gram te Sevagram village to Sevagram Zenda march flag march planned by state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre

The gram te Sevagram village to Sevagram Zenda march flag march planned by state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre,who is keen on getting a fresh term,appears to be jinxed. Congressmen were to march to Sevagram,Wardha,on Gandhi Jayanti for a rally. But,after the court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute,the event was postponed and,instead a Sadbhavna Saptah goodwill week to promote communal harmony,was observed from October 2 to 7. The concluding function was to be held on October 7,but was put off as Thakre wanted Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to attend it. Now,she is expected to visit Wardha on October 15. Until then,Thakres detractors,who had prevented a consensus on granting a fresh term for him and left the decision to Sonia,would lobby against him.

Its OBC versus OBCNCP eats humble pie

The NCP,which has arm-twisted the Congress many times for getting more share in power,had to eat humble pie while negotiating an alliance for the ensuing polls for the Kalyan-Dombivli municipal corporation. Revenue Minister Narayan Rane Congress had finalised a deal with local NCP leaders,led by Deputy Chairperson in the Legislative Council Vasant Davkhare NCP,that gave 55 out of the 107 seats to the Congress and 52 to the NCP. Later,NCP hardliners cried foul and wanted more seats,prompting state NCP chief Madhukar Pichad to authorise Sharad Pawars nephew,Ajit Pawar,to negotiate with Rane. Rane rejected the possibility of any further talks. Ultimately,Pichad met state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre,but in vain. The NCP finally accepted the deal.

Crystal balls for Rane

WHILE the metamorphosis of Revenue Minister Narayan Rane from being a rabble-rouser in the Shiv Sena to a sophisticated Congressman is visible in his behaviour,paranoia seems to have gripped him. After installing CCTV cameras at strategic points in his office on the sixth floor of Mantralaya,he has changed the direction of his seat and suspended crystal balls from the ceiling. His aides say Dada does not want to take any chance,now that he is firmly in place; his elder son Nilesh is MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg,and his younger son Nitesh who was denied an Assembly ticket last year is desperately raking up local issues in Mumbai with an eye on the civic polls.