Patole meets Sonia, seeks action against MLAs for skipping floor test, cross-voting in LC polls

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The Congress high command has taken a stern view of 11 party MLAs, who were conspicuous by their absence during the trust vote of the Eknath Shinde-led government on Monday and the way MPCC working president Chandrakant Handore was defeated in the June 20 legislative council elections.
Shinde received support of 164 legislators during the trust vote, while the ousted Maha Vikas Aghadi, of which Congress was also a part, got 99 votes.
Summoned to Delhi on Thursday evening, Congress state president Nana Patole met the party’s national president Sonia Gandhi with complaints against some leaders, including former chief minister Ashok Chavan, for being absent during the floor test sought by the BJP-backed CM Shinde and alleged cross-voting during the council polls.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal were also present at Sonia’s residence when Patole met her.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Patole said, “We met Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and discussed about the political situation in the state, our organisational structure and discipline.”
Handore, who was defeated despite being the Congress’s first preference candidate, had called on Rahul along with state Congress working president Naseem Khan on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the party’s top brass summoned Patole and enquired about Handores defeat and why 11 MLAs, including former ministers Chavan and Vijay Vadettiwar, stayed away from the trust vote. They claimed that the Congress MLAs were late in reaching the Assembly. The Congress high command in the national capital was upset over so many MLAs reaching the Assembly late, thereby missing the trust vote, despite a whip.
Handore said, “I was the first preference candidate in the MLC polls on June 20. The party had said I must get a quota of 29 votes though I required 27. However, there were a lot of dirty tricks played and seven persons cross-voted. I had given a list of 29 MLAs which was changed by our leaders. The second candidate, Bhai Jagtap was asked to get votes from other groups. But he took my votes because of which my share of votes were reduced and I faced defeat. I told Rahulji that this is a serious matter and they (the high command) agreed to send a disciplinary committee (to inquire into the cross voting).”
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