Congress Finds Bizarre Reasons To Explain Its Maharashtra Waterloo!

When Karnataka minister G Parameshwara, as AICC observer for Maharashtra polls  pinned the blame on INDIA Bloc partners Sharad Pawar’s NCP(SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) for “failing to campaign as planned” in the Maharashtra assembly elections, Maharashtra Congress leaders were shocked. They wondered who he was trying to protect! Why was he slamming INDIA partners…to save the skin of PCC chief Nana Patole? Or more importantly protect Congress boss Rahul Gandhi. He pointed out that Pawar’s group and Uddhav’s group were not aligned, didn’t campaign as planned, and did not give the Congress “many seats in Vidarbha.” Notwithstanding all this official bluff and bluster, shocking details are now emerging about how the Congress completely messed up with the election management from the word go. From candidate selection to media mis-management, the Maharashtra Congress under Patole relied on professional surveys rather than on feedback of its state leaders and party cadres to pick candidates. “State parliamentary board was not consulted. Professionals conducting the pre-poll surveys who were unfamiliar with even names of local leaders were on the job to finalise the Cong list”. It is unfair to blame Pawar for our loss. For instance in Pune, he made it clear that none of the three candidates picked by us would win. Imagine fielding Ravindra Dhangekar who resoundingly lost LS polls, once again from Kasbapeth,” said a party source. Besides, media management was completely lacking. This when the PCC had something like 24 spokespersons on board. In a last minute rush the AICC media team got party veteran Anant Gadgil to salvage the situation. Party sources pinned real cause for the Congress meltdown on a deal for Muslim votes to provide amnesty to those held in the 1993 Mumbai blast case. This united the Hindus against the MVA.