All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal on July 19 said the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance was determined to unseat the ‘corrupt’ Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, predicting that the State’s electorate would deliver a strong rebuke to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the coming Assembly elections.
The Alappuzha MP, along with Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala, reviewed the party’s preparations and strategies for the polls. He said the Opposition would present a strong narrative and all party leaders had been instructed to speak with a unified voice. He indicated that Assembly elections weare expected in October this year.
“The people of Maharashtra will teach the BJP a lesson in the coming Assembly elections, and we are committed to ousting the corrupt State government that was formed through underhanded means,” Mr. Venugopal said, after the review meeting with State leaders.
He highlighted the directive for Congress leaders to maintain unity and coherence in their messaging and noted ongoing communications with MVA allies. “Key campaign issues will include unemployment and farmers’ concerns,” he said.
The Congress leader said action had been taken against the MLAs who cross-voted in the biennial elections to 11 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council last week.
“The party has taken action against the MLAs who cross-voted and you will see the result in future. Discipline is very important,” he said. However, he did not divulge the number or names of the legislators who defied the party’s directive while voting.
‘Clear message’
Mr. Venugopal observed a shift in the national political climate, pointing to the BJP’s poor performance in the recent bypolls, where the INDIA bloc secured 11 out of 13 seats. “INDIA bloc won in Ayodhya [Faizabad Lok Sabha seat] and Badrinath [Assembly bypoll seat], despite alleged misuse of government machinery by the BJP. The government’s attempts to obstruct our voters were unsuccessful, demonstrating a clear message from the people,” he said.
Referring to the defection of a senior leader before the Lok Sabha polls, he questioned the BJP’s expectations in Nanded following the defection of former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. “A very top leader deserted us before the Lok Sabha polls… but contrary to the BJP’s hopes, their candidate lost to the Congress in this key constituency,” he said without naming Mr. Chavan.
The grand old party’s State unit chief Nana Patole said MVA leaders would soon meet to finalise the election strategy and seat-sharing arrangements.
He said the Congress would launch its election campaign on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, with invitations extended to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and leader Rahul Gandhi.
