Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday said that INDIA Alliance is not working, it is a fact.
“INDIA Alliance is not yielding results. That is why we see that there is a lot of general nervousness amongst the colleagues…That is why people are one by one leaving the alliance, they don’t see any future,” Ashok Chavan said while speaking with news agency ANI.
Chavan further said that he left the Congress after observing the mood of the nation. Chavan quit Congress on Tuesday and joined the BJP in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“In politics, you need to understand the mood of the nation. Considering the mood of the people, I decided to join the BJP. I won’t comment on Congress, whatever happens in Congress it will be their karma. I respect Sonia Gandhi. I have just left the party, and I am not so big to comment on her,” Chavan said earlier.
Meanwhile, At least five Congress MLAs did not attend a meeting of the party’s lawmakers in Maharashtra on Thursday, called in the aftermath of the high-profile exit of former chief minister Ashok Chavan that has triggered speculation about more such defections.
Zeeshan Siddique (Bandra East), Aslam Shaikh (Malad West), Amit Deshmukh (Latur City), Sulbha Khodke (Amravati) and Mohanrao Hambarde (Nanded South) did not attend the meeting here.
Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat said all five lawmakers remained absent after seeking permission from him.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole also maintained that the legislators sought his permission to skip the meeting due to prior commitments.
Siddique and Shaikh said they had commitments in their constituencies, while Deshmukh is not in the state. Khodke and Hambarde had family engagements, a party functionary said.
The party functionary added both Siddique and Shaikh had given their signatures as proposers for Congress’ Rajya Sabha candidate Chandrakant Handore and attended a meeting of party lawmakers on Wednesday evening.
In a setback to Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls, ex-CM Chavan resigned from the grand old party on Monday, triggering speculation about more defections from the party. He joined the BJP a day later and was fielded by the saffron party for the Rajya Sabha elections.
Last month, former Union minister Milind Deora switched over the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena from the Congress. Deora has been nominated by the Shiv Sena for Rajya Sabha polls.
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Published: 15 Feb 2024, 10:37 PM IST
