Ignoring Maha MLAs' pleas for months cost Congress dear

New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) It is now evident that a few Congress MLAs in Maharashtra had cross-voted in the MLC elections on Monday and the party is on damage control mode and trying hard to keep its flock together amid the ongoing threat to the MVA government.

"There is crisis within the Congress... many MLAs had not voted for the designated Congress candidate in the MLC polls," former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told media.

Sources say that the Congress is likely to replace Congress Legislature Party leader Balasahab Thorat to placate party MLAs and state in-charge H.K. Patil has been rushed to Maharashtra. While the party maintains that the political upheaval is an internal Shiv Sena crisis but party leaders say that ignoring the MLAs plea was a mistake by the party.

About two dozen Congress MLAs from Maharashtra had met party President Sonia Gandhi in April to discuss party issues in the state, and share their grievances. They had complained that Congress ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government ignore them and party workers and apprised her that there is a strong resentment against the ministers due to this.

Gandhi had given them a patient hearing and assured them of amicable solution within a week but there was no movement.

The MVA government on Tuesday faced its worst political crisis as at least one Shiv Sena Minister along with other ministers and several MLAs veered towards a revolt and are now parked in Gujarat.