Sonia 'displeased' with Deshmukh

Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh returns to Mumbai without getting a chance to meet Sonia, reports Saroj Nagi.

Congress leaders flocking to Delhi to give Sonia Gandhi their version of the party's failure to put up in the recent civic polls in Maharashtra are a worried lot. The Congress president has so far not met any of them. This is being interpreted as a sign of the High Command's displeasure with them.

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Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh returned to Mumbai on Thursday without getting a chance to meet Sonia. The CM, who was in the Capital for a meeting with the Planning Commission, was hoping for an appointment that did not materialise.

On Wednesday, Sonia was busy discussing the party's preparations for the UP assembly elections with AICC general secretary in charge of the state Ashok Gehlot, UP pradesh Congress committee chief Salman Khursheed and other state leaders. Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi was present during the discussions. On Friday, she will be in Assam to inaugurate the National Games.

The Congress' failure to dislodge the saffron camp from the cash-rich Mumbai Corporation reflected its inability to politically exploit the split in the Shiv Sena or the disarray in the BJP camp following Pramod Mahajan's death. To add to its woes, the party also lost in Nagpur, its traditional stronghold.

After the announcement of the results, PCC chief Prabha Rau, Sena rebel-turned-Congressman Narayan Rane, Mumbai unit chief Gurudas Kamat and a host of other state leaders flocked to Delhi to meet Sonia. But the Congress president has so far not given an appointment to any of them.

During his two day stay in Delhi, Deshmukh met the Planning Commission members, Union Ministers including Sushilkumar Shinde, Murli Deora and Prithviraj Chavan and AICC leaders Motilal Vora and Alva.