Four new faces from Maha appointed to CWC

Four new faces from Maharashtra, including former chief minister Ashok Chavan, have been inducted into the Congress Working Committee (CWC), indicating the party's focus on the state ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The appointments are seen as a move to rejig the leadership in Maharashtra and improve the party's performance in regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada. The Congress hopes to better its score in the 2024 elections and plans to reshuffle its organisational set-up in the state. Chavan's induction into the CWC is seen as a significant development, raising his stature in the state unit.

STRAP: Appointments indicate state’s importance to central leadership ahead of LS elections, say insiders

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Mumbai: As announced by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has four new faces from Maharashtra. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan has been inducted as a CWC member while Chandrakant Handore, Yashomati Thakur and Praniti Shinde have been inducted as permanent members and special invitees. Insiders said the appointments indicated the Congress leadership’s intention of rejigging the leadership of Maharashtra, an important state for the party.

Mukul Wasnik and Avinash Pande, Maharashtra leaders active at the organisational level of the party’s national leadership, continue to be part of the CWC. Two other Maharashtra leaders, Rajani Patil and Manikrao Thakre, are part of the CWC in charge of Jammu & Kashmir and Telangana respectively.

According to insiders, with these appointments, the central leadership of the party has sent out a message about the weightage it gives to the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The party expects a better performance in both general and assembly polls in the state, especially in regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada.

“The recent surveys by various agencies have projected a better performance by the Congress and Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi,” said a senior party leader. “We hope to do better in Vidarbha, which has been a traditional citadel of the party. After appointing a Vidarbha leader as leader of the opposition (Vijay Wadettiwar), Yashomati Thakur’s appointment as a special invitee will help us gain ground in the region.”

Besides the leader of the opposition, state unit chief Nana Patole, state youth wing chief Kunal Raut, state women’s wing chief Sandhya Savalakhe and minority wing chief Wajahat Mirza are all from Vidarbha.

The Congress, which won just one Lok Sabha seat from Maharashtra in 2019, hopes to better its score in the 2024 election. According to its leaders, the central leadership wants to go for a reshuffle in the organisational set-up of the state.

Former chief minister Ashok Chavan’s induction into the CWC is seen as a significant development, as it has upped his stature in the state unit. “The Chavan camp has emerged as powerful of late, especially after Mallikarjun Kharge became president of the party,” said a leader. “Chavan is believed to have thrown his weight behind Wadettiwar for the post of leader of the opposition recently. Varsha Gaikwad, who was appointed Mumbai unit chief of the party two months ago, also had strong support from Chavan. By elevating Chavan as a CWC member, it has been underlined that he will play a key role in the forthcoming general elections.”

State leaders also feel that Chavan has scored over the rival camp led by Balasaheb Thorat. “It was evident during the recent appointments in the state unit,” said a leader. “After the Satyajeet Tambe episode, the leadership has lost faith in Thorat to some extent. Thorat had batted for the appointment of Sangram Thopate as leader of the opposition, but the Chavan-promoted Wadettiwar was picked by the leadership.”

Chavan, after his appointment, said that he accepted the responsibility “with great humility” and was committed to working tirelessly for the progress of the party. “I am looking forward to working closely with colleagues and the Congress leadership to address the challenges in our path,” he said.

Another leader said the party had accommodated Handore, a Dalit face, to the central committee after his humiliating defeat in the legislative council election last year. “Also, by appointing Yashomati and Praniti, the party has given an opportunity to new faces which are aggressively active in state politics,” he said.