‘Take a call on alliance partners soon, stop wooing Ambedkar,’ Western Maha Cong tells leadership

The Congress is holding region-wise meetings with officer-bearers from districts to discuss preparations for the Assembly polls.

As the Congress gears up for the Assembly elections scheduled in October, district-level Congress leaders from western Maharashtra on Thursday requested their central and state-level leaders to speed up talks with alliance partners at the earliest so that party workers get adequate time for preparations.

On Thursday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge, senior state leaders including state unit chief Ashok Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan attended the meeting held at the party’s Dadar office. (Sonu Mehta/HT FILE PHOTO)

The leaders also requested that the party make alternate plans instead of “wasting time” in wooing the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) to join the alliance.

The Congress is holding region-wise meetings with officer-bearers from districts to discuss preparations for the Assembly polls. On Thursday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mallikarjun Kharge, senior state leaders including state unit chief Ashok Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan attended the meeting held at the party’s Dadar office.

“It is almost clear that VBA is unlikely to join the Congress-NCP alliance for the polls. Instead of wasting time in trying to convince Ambedkar, we should have a Plan B ready to tackle the polls and strengthen our own leaders in constituencies,” a district president told the panel.