The issue of change in leadership of Maharashtra Congress has reached to Raipur. Congress's plenary session will be in Chattisgarh. State Congress leaders are using the opportunity to push their agenda further. It is being expected that the decision regarding Maharashtra Congress chief will come after the plenary session.
There are multiple warring groups in Maharashtra Congress. Many of them want to remove Nana Patole from state president post. After legislative council elections, balasaheb Thorat has openly expressed his objections about Nana Patole. To take stock of the situation and possibly find the consensus candidate to lead the party in state, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has sent Ramesh Chennithala in Maharashtra. Chennithala met senior as well as junior leaders, office bearers, sympathizers of the party to understand the situation. He also tried to find out how the current issues could be resolved. He was supposed to brief Kharge in last two days.
Using the opportunity, state's various leaders are meeting senior leaders in Raipur. From Digvijay Singh and Jairam Ramesh to KC Venugopal and Ashok Gehlot, leaders are being 'informed' about the situation in Maharashtra. Sources told that a senior leader and former minister of Maharashtra has requested former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamalnath to put a word with Rahul Gandhi regarding change in state Congress.
Few names are being discussed in state Congress internally. Sunil Kedar, Satej Patil, Kunal Patil and Yashomati Thakur are front runners for state president post. They all are young, technocracy, have capacity to raise resources ahead of elections as well as staunch congress worker. Two major groups, Balasaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan are trying ton push their candidates.
Congress plenary session is organised to rejuvenate party ahead of five major state elections this year as well as Lok Sabha elections next year. The new leader in Maharashtra will lead the party in local body elections as well as Lok Sabha. So Congress will have to elect the person keeping national formula in mind.
