Chavan out of poll campaign in Bihar

Deeply embarrassed over the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai, the Congress has shunned the plan to send Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to Bihar for the election campaign, fearing adverse fallout in the remaining phases of polls. Aurangzeb Naqshbandi reports.

Deeply embarrassed over the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai, the Congress has shunned the plan to send Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to Bihar for the election campaign, fearing adverse fallout in the remaining phases of polls.

HT Image

Congress sources said Chavan was to campaign in Bihar in the next couple of days for the fifth phase of elections on November 9. “But the programme stands cancelled now. It would have had adverse impact on the party’s prospects in the remaining phases of polling,” a party leader said.

Chavan is at the centre of controversy surrounding the Adarsh Housing society, which allegedly got the land on the promise that flats would be built for war veterans and widows but were instead allotted to politicians, bureaucrats and army and navy commanders.

Chavan’s late mother-in-law Bhagwati Sharma, sister-in-law Seema Sharma and brother-in-law Madanlal Sharma had been reportedly allotted flats.

Though Chavan has already offered his resignation, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee and AK Antony to go through the documents related to the society.

Chavan’s campaign was vital part of the party’s poll strategy given the fact that Maharashtra is home to thousands from Bihar.

But these migrants have faced violent attacks in Maharashtra. The last such incident was witnessed in October 2008 when students appearing for railway entrance exams were attacked by Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Several senior Maharashtra Congress leaders, including Sanjay Nirupam, Hussain Dalwai and Haribhau Rathod, have already campaigned for the party in Bihar.