Ashok Chavan met Mallikarjun Kharge, spoke to Sonia Gandhi before resigning from Congress

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Former CM Ashok Chavan visited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge late last week in what appeared a meeting to sound the leadership about his plan to quit. He also spoke with Sonia Gandhi, it is learnt. A loyalist and insider, Chavan was rumoured to have been planning to leave Congress for many months. He is also learnt to have spoken to the party leadership after quitting the Congress.

Chavan's exit has left Congress without any prominent face in the Marathwada region. While the Marathawad Congress unit was stunned by Chavan's decision, according to senior leaders, they had sensed it was on the cards.

On Monday Chavan, 5-term MLA and elected from Bhokar assembly constituency in Nanded district in 2019, resigned from the legislative assembly, the Congress Working Committee and the primary membership of the party. "I personally called on assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar and submitted my resignation. My resignation from the primary membership of the party has been given to MPCC president Nana Patole. I have also resigned from the CWC. In the Congress party, all along I worked very honestly, I have no complaint or grudge against anyone," he said.

Asked why he had quit even though the Congress had given him top political posts, Chavan said there isn't a reason for every decision that is taken. "I am a born Congressman. I have been associated with the Congress for a long time, and I felt I should explore options, therefore I decided to quit," he said.

Though Chavan was non-committal, according to reports, he was negotiating with the BJP leadership about his political future and had had a series of meetings with the BJP leadership in New Delhi. He will either be offered a BJP nomination for the February 27 Rajya Sabha elections or be asked to contest the Lok Sabha elections from his hometown Nanded.

Milind Deora, after his resignation from Congress, joined the CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, while Baba Siddique joined the NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

Apart from being CM, Chavan had held key posts in the Congress, including that of MPCC president. He had had to step down as CM in 2010 after his name prominently figured in the Adarsh land scam, with allegations made that his relatives were beneficiaries in the scheme.

Last year, Ashok Chavan played a crucial role in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra when it arrived in Nanded, his hometown. He was also instrumental in organizing the INDIA bloc meeting held in Mumbai in 2023. Even more significant was the role he was playing in deciding the LS poll seat-sharing formula with Sharad Pawar's NCP and the UBT Sena.