Rattled Cong will ask Alva, Kalmadi to explain why and how

Congress president Sonia Gandhi summoned Alva this evening to discuss the results.

Deshmukh had strongly argued for an alliance with the NCP, but Kamat and Alva did not budge. “Kamat in Mumbai and Kalmadi in Pune ran the election in a totally authoritarian fashion. AICC leaders in charge did not listen to our point of view and the party has paid dearly,” a leader of the Pradesh Congress Committee told The Indian Express. He said the issue would be taken up with the Congress president.

After today’s result resuscitated the BJP-Shiv Sena from coma, Deshmukh supporters wore a “told-you-so” attitude and the AICC officially attributed the defeat to the “split in secular votes.”

“The sole reason behind this result is the division among secular votes,” party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said. He claimed the Congress had made every effort to “consolidate secular vote,” and tried to shift the blame to the NCP. “It requires both hands to clap,” he said. Singhvi said post-poll alliances with the NCP could be possible in several municipalities.

Internal bickering, however, has only just begun.

A party insider in Mumbai attributed the defeat to the failure to reach an alliance with the NCP and the emphasis on Marathi voters, a strategy pushed by the Shiv Sena-turned-Congress leader Narayan Rane. “We behaved arrogantly with the NCP and didn’t care for Hindi-speaking voters,” he said.

An agreement was indeed reached about Mumbai between Gurudas Kamat and NCP leader Praful Patel on the number of seats each one would contest, but the deal fell through on particular seats. “We should have been more practical and magnanimous to save the day,” the leader said.

Sources close to Alwa said the NCP was insisting on the seat of the leader of opposition which was not acceptable.

Pune is another case in point. Alva had given a free a hand to Kalmadi who in turn isolated large sections of the party. Anant Gadgil, MPCC spokesperson, minced no words in targeting Kalmadi. “This vote is against the autocratic style of functioning of some party leaders. The high command should now act on this,” Gadgil said.

NCP and Congress leaders targeted one another throughout the campaign. Ajit Pawar derided Kalmadi for the “envelope culture,” whereas Alva and Pawar Sr were locked in a war of words.