Congress keeps a safe distance from Prithviraj Chavan after assembly poll debacle.
After the facing a huge defeat in the assembly election the Congress party has been sidelining former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan. Many leaders from the party like Manikrao Thakre and Narayan Rane had blamed Chavan’s poor leadership skills for the dismal performance of the party in the election. According to them, Chavan was unable to give proper direction to the party and lacked the charisma of Narendra Modi to attract voters. Apart from this, there was a 15 year anti-incumbency factor which worked against the party. Just like Congress had distanced itself from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the centre same treatment is being meted against Chavan at the state.
Chavan is found missing from important meetings and other party functions. The responsibility of reviving the Congress party has been entrusted to former chief minister Ashok Chavan and Narayan Rane. Politicians often compete with each other to take credit if their party fares better in election. On the other hand, an individual leader is held responsible if the party loses election.
Chavan himself had accepted the responsibility for the party’s debacle in the polls. Even though Manikrao Thakre had resigned from the post of Maharashtra Congress Committee President after the assembly polls but the party is yet to relieve him of his duties. Since it will take time to find a successor to Thakre hence he has been assigned the task of revitalising the party. The Zilla Parishad election of Palghar and Thane are scheduled to be held on January 28. These elections will be followed by polls in Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli and Aurangabad municipal corporations
The Congress didn’t invite Chavan for a meeting which was held to discuss about the preparations for the upcoming elections. The responsibility has been assigned to Narayan Rane, Ashok Chavan, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Balasaheb Thorat, Harshvardhan Patil. Many leaders are expressing doubts about Chavan’s credibility after the assembly poll debacle.
“Currently, I am focussing more about the development of Karad constituency. As a result of this, I am not taking any responsibility related with the organisation of the party” said Prithviraj Chavan
According to sources from the party, “Lacklustre leadership in the state and centre was something that has already got to the candidate. One of the main reasons why Congress was routed out of power was that many top leaders had conceded defeat much before the elections. The party must now take steps to redeem itself and reach out to the masses.”
Earlier Congress leader Narayan Rane had blamed Chavan for the party’s defeat in the state assembly elections. Rane alleged that Congress lost because Chavan did not carry out the responsibility of distributing election funds from the party to candidates all over the state.
