Maharashtra Congress chief Harshawardhan Sapkal says MVA’s role will be decided after civic polls

MUMBAI: Newly-appointed state Congress unit president Harshawardhan Sapkal was non-committal on the fate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state, saying the MPCC (Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee) will take a call on MVA when elections to local bodies and zilla parishads are declared.
"MVA is part of the INDIA bloc. It was formed ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, and subsequently, it continued during the assembly elections. As of now, MVA has no role since there are no Lok Sabha or assembly elections in the near future. Though civic and zilla parishad polls are on the cards, I am doubtful if Mahayuti is prepared to contest these polls. In my opinion, civic polls may not be held at all in the near future," Sapkal told TOI.
Sapkal said that after the impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party' performance was no doubt dismal in the state assembly elections. But he called it "a temporary phase" and said Congress will come out of the current situation and take a big step forward. "We are set to launch ourselves; we will galvanize the party at the grassroots level and mobilize disconnected people," he said.
On the strength of the BJP, Sapkal said that in the recent past, it has built up the organization with the help of workers from Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP. "BJP has mobilized party workers and leaders from these parties. It has succeeded in engineering a split in Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP. Under such circumstances, how can BJP be called a strong political party? Our ideological battle against the BJP will continue forever, we are determined to defeat it in future polls at all levels," he said.
Stating that BJP was instrumental in utilizing social media in a big way, Sapkal said now even the Congress is not lagging behind but has strengthened its social media presence by introducing artificial intelligence at all levels. "We have stepped in, we too are on a technologically-strong footing. We will use the technology to the optimum and deliver the best results," he said.
Sapkal said that while there was unprecedented response to the agitation in Beed over the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, the Mahayuti govt has "crushed" all agitations in the Marathwada region. "It's not only Beed, but all agitations across the state have been suppressed by use of police force. I am sure people will not succumb to political or police pressure," he said. On what he saw as the biggest challenge before him, Sapkal said building up and strengthening the organization at all levels was the major task.
Mumbai: Newly-appointed state Congress unit president Harshawardhan Sapkal was non-committal on the fate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state, saying the MPCC (Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee) will take a call on MVA when elections to local bodies and zilla parishads are declared.
"MVA is part of the INDIA bloc. It was formed ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, and subsequently, it continued during the assembly elections. As of now, MVA has no role since there are no Lok Sabha or assembly elections in the near future. Though civic and zilla parishad polls are on the cards, I am doubtful if Mahayuti is prepared to contest these polls. In my opinion, civic polls may not be held at all in the near future," Sapkal told TOI.
Sapkal said that after the impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party' performance was no doubt dismal in the state assembly elections. But he called it "a temporary phase" and said Congress will come out of the current situation and take a big step forward. "We are set to launch ourselves; we will galvanize the party at the grassroots level and mobilize disconnected people," he said.
On the strength of the BJP, Sapkal said that in the recent past, it has built up the organization with the help of workers from Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP. "BJP has mobilized party workers and leaders from these parties. It has succeeded in engineering a split in Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP. Under such circumstances, how can BJP be called a strong political party? Our ideological battle against the BJP will continue forever, we are determined to defeat it in future polls at all levels," he said.
Stating that BJP was instrumental in utilizing social media in a big way, Sapkal said now even the Congress is not lagging behind but has strengthened its social media presence by introducing artificial intelligence at all levels. "We have stepped in, we too are on a technologically-strong footing. We will use the technology to the optimum and deliver the best results," he said.
Sapkal said that while there was unprecedented response to the agitation in Beed over the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, the Mahayuti govt has "crushed" all agitations in the Marathwada region. "It's not only Beed, but all agitations across the state have been suppressed by use of police force. I am sure people will not succumb to political or police pressure," he said. On what he saw as the biggest challenge before him, Sapkal said building up and strengthening the organization at all levels was the major task.