Meanwhile,partymen think it’s time for him to go

“The decision has nothing to do with charges against Kalmadi. After the party was formed in 1999,we contested the corporation elections on our own,” Kakade said.

While NCP is busy putting together a list of its achievements for the polls,Kalmadi detractors are using the corruption charges against him as ammo. Some Congress leaders have brought fighting within the city unit to the notice of party high command.

“It is high time the Congress reviewed its policy in Pune. Party loyalists should be preferred over those who have always caused damage to the party,” said a Congress leader on the condition of anonymity. He said,“Kalmadi was never loyal to the Congress. He had even contested the parliamentary elections with BJP and Shiv Sena support. Even former PM A B Vajpayee had come to his election rally. He was earlier associated with Sharad Pawar in the Congress S as well,” added the leader.

“Removing him from the Congress Parliamentary Party is not enough. Kalmadi must be made to resign as MP.” Congress MLC Mohan Joshi,a known Kalmadi-baiter said,adding,“The Congress has a history of rejecting the corrupt and it has always been firm against corrupt leaders.”

Kalmadi supporters,notably former Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe,said leaders speaking against Kalmadi don’t have any mass following. “They don’t even attend party meetings. Kalmadi is a mass leader and had himself come on record saying he was ready to support the CBI investigation.”

Congress city unit president Abhay Chajjad is confident that the dissenting voices will not affect the party performance in the civic polls.

Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Shivarkar said charges against Kalmadi were already being investigated by the CBI and hence it “won’t be appropriate for me to comment.”