Pawar gets 2 more MPs, Cong balance sheet still looks good

MUMBAI, MAY 26: Despite a regular stream of defections of MPs and legislators to the Sharad Pawar group, the Congress party in Maharashtr...

MUMBAI, MAY 26: Despite a regular stream of defections of MPs and legislators to the Sharad Pawar group, the Congress party in Maharashtra seems to be doing well for itself. A large section of the party office-bearers and local-level leaders have affirmed their allegiance to the party.

An internal balance sheet, prepared at the highest level at the end of AICC general secretary Madhavrao Scindia’s visit earlier this week, has brought some cheer in the Congress despite the MPs’ orchestrated resignation-a-day drama. The picture according to the balance sheet shows around 10 to 13 MPs trooping the Pawar way. Happily, what the painstaking exercise is backed by the fact that MPs and Legislators signify only a certain section of the organisation.

Congress leaders believe that ten days after Pawar, with Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar, first threw the gauntlet at Sonia Gandhi’s aspiration to be the Prime Minister, the party in his home-state has not suffered as much as it feared. “Pawar is undoubtedly a strong leader but he didn’t dictate terms or carry the entire state unit with him,” said a veteran party leader in the light of the good balance sheet. Scindia is believed to have taken details of every single block and unit leader complete with contact address, telephone numbers and, importantly, the chances of his/her ditching the party to join Pawar.

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BALANCE SHEET DETAILS: Of the 76 AICC members from the state, 49 are with the party, 19 have chosen to cast their lot with Pawar either openly or tacitly while the rest are fence-sitting so far. In the 79-member executive of the Pradesh Congress Committee, 53 have confirmed their allegiance to the party while the remaining 26 are deemed to be favourable towards Pawar.

Significantly, both the AICC and PCC executive were largely formed during Pawar’s heydays and when his protege Ranjit Deshmukh was the PCC president. Some additions were made in the last year after Prataprao Bhosale, considered a Sonia Gandhi appointee, replaced Deshmukh. Curiously, Deshmukh is now seen in the party camp rather than in the Pawar group.

Among the 52 PCC office-bearers, over 40 are believed to be committed to the party while the rest may choose Pawar — some already have while others are still making up their minds.

The most crucial from the party point of view are the District Congress Committees which form the bulwark of the organisation. Of the 49 DCC presidents in the state, as many as 40 have affirmed their allegiance or have conveyed their desire to be with the party while nine are suspect. These include Osmanabad and Nagpur (rural) where DCC presidents may go the Pawar way.

Tupe, Nam ditch Cong

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Two more MPs declared their resignations from the party today, Shankar Nam who represented Dahanu and Vithal Tupe who won with a handsome margin against Suresh Kalmadi in Pune last election.

Madhukar Pichad, Pawar acolyte and leader of opposition in the Legislative Assembly who was away recuperating in Kerala during the crisis, returned and promptly pitched in with Pawar.

Within hours, the PCC apprised the AICC and Scindia of his stand and recommended action. Chhagan Bhujbal, Pichad’s counterpart in the Legislative Council threw his lot behind Pawar on the very day he was expelled from the party along with 28 other Legislators two days back. Bhujbal and Pichad claim that as soon as Pawar’s new political party is officially launched on June 10, a fresh exodus will begin.