Maharashtra Assembly Election: Rahul Gandhi Walks Out of CEC Meeting Over Seat Allocation to Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena in Mumbai, Vidarbha
The Congress Central Election Committee met for its second meeting in Delhi on Friday to finalize its candidate choices for the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Seat allocations were up for discussion in the course of deliberations, and the focus was on Vidarbha, Mumbai, and western Maharashtra.
Oct 26, 2024, 07:50 IST
The Congress Central Election Committee met for its second meeting in Delhi on Friday to finalize its candidate choices for the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Seat allocations were up for discussion in the course of deliberations, and the focus was on Vidarbha, Mumbai, and western Maharashtra. According to sources, Rahul Gandhi appears to have reacted sharply over a few seats being allocated to Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and it was only then that he walked out of the meeting. Even after that, the CEC meeting continued for nearly an hour.
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Criteria for Selection and Allocation of Candidates in Dispute
Sources say Rahul Gandhi opposed some selected candidates, especially the ones handpicked by the senior leadership. He expressed his reservations over the criteria for the selection of the candidates, which is believed to be wrong and somehow detrimental for their service to the larger electoral interests of the party.
Ticket Recommendations Stir Controversy
It is said that some leaders of the Maharashtra Congress have nominated their close associates or family members for particular seats. Rahul Gandhi was reportedly upset with this, reiterating that the choice of candidates should remain merit-based and not based on personal ties.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole today said that the party would be coming out with the second list of candidates on Friday and indicated that a third list might be out on Saturday. Patole remained upbeat on performance, predicting a robust performance in Maharashtra and a full majority to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. He said the party has also balanced out allocations to ensure that OBCs are properly represented.
"More Modi-Shah Rallies Will Help Us," Says Patole
Patole also said that more rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will ultimately benefit the Congress party. He added that Congress wants to do better than its previous Lok Sabha results in this assembly election and is confident of MVA's success.
A congress election in-charge for Maharashtra, Ramesh Chennithala, spoke of unity within the MVA alliance and asserted that Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP are united and will go together into this election. "The MVA coalition is united. The real issues lie within the BJP's Mahayuti coalition," Chennithala said reiterating the coalition's decision to win a majority to form the Maharashtra government.
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Criteria for Selection and Allocation of Candidates in Dispute
Sources say Rahul Gandhi opposed some selected candidates, especially the ones handpicked by the senior leadership. He expressed his reservations over the criteria for the selection of the candidates, which is believed to be wrong and somehow detrimental for their service to the larger electoral interests of the party.
Ticket Recommendations Stir Controversy
It is said that some leaders of the Maharashtra Congress have nominated their close associates or family members for particular seats. Rahul Gandhi was reportedly upset with this, reiterating that the choice of candidates should remain merit-based and not based on personal ties.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole today said that the party would be coming out with the second list of candidates on Friday and indicated that a third list might be out on Saturday. Patole remained upbeat on performance, predicting a robust performance in Maharashtra and a full majority to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. He said the party has also balanced out allocations to ensure that OBCs are properly represented.
"More Modi-Shah Rallies Will Help Us," Says Patole
Patole also said that more rallies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will ultimately benefit the Congress party. He added that Congress wants to do better than its previous Lok Sabha results in this assembly election and is confident of MVA's success.
A congress election in-charge for Maharashtra, Ramesh Chennithala, spoke of unity within the MVA alliance and asserted that Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP are united and will go together into this election. "The MVA coalition is united. The real issues lie within the BJP's Mahayuti coalition," Chennithala said reiterating the coalition's decision to win a majority to form the Maharashtra government.