Poll rout: First note of dissent against CM Chavan

A Congress leader from Pune has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, blaming him for the Congress' rout in the state in the Lok Sabha elections.

A Congress leader from Pune has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, blaming him for the Congress' rout in the state in the Lok Sabha elections.

Deepak Mankar, a former deputy mayor of Pune, said the CM should take moral responsibility for the party's drubbing. The Congress won only two seats, while ally NCP managed four in the state with 48 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress-NCP combine is in power in the state. The debacle has put pressure on the ruling alliance ahead of the assembly elections to be held by October.

"Had there been some concrete work in the state under the leadership of the chief minister, the election results would have been different," said Mankar, who is considered close to Maharashtra Pradesh Congress committee chief Manikrao Thakre. Mankar even threatened to start protests against Chavan.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Vishwajit Kadam, who lost from Pune by a margin of 3.15 lakh votes, said the state leadership should introspect over the loss.

Kadam, the Maharashtra Youth Congress chief, added, "A few people within the party worked against our official candidates. We are recommending action against them in our report to the party leadership."