NEW DELHI: A day after the
Congress recorded its lowest-ever tally in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, factional fault lines resurfaced in the party’s Mumbai unit, with a senior leader demanding the resignation of city president Varsha Gaikwad on moral grounds.
Gaikwad has come under pressure after the Congress won only 24 seats in the 227-member civic body, down from 31 seats it had secured in the 2017 elections.
Former Mumbai Congress president and MLC Bhai Jagtap said Gaikwad should step down, arguing that the party’s performance marked a historic low. “When candidates were selected, I was told that tickets were distributed based on a survey. I didn’t object that time, but when I asked for the survey, it wasn’t shown to me,” Jagtap said, as quoted by PTI Videos.
In response, the Congress on Saturday issued a showcause notice to Jagtap for indiscipline following his public criticism of Gaikwad and demand for her resignation.
In the notice issued by AICC secretary U B Venkatesh, who is in charge of the Mumbai and Konkan region, Jagtap has been asked to explain within seven days why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him for raising organisational issues through public and media platforms.
The notice said the party viewed Jagtap’s statements with “serious concern” as they were made in open media and public forums and widely circulated through electronic media.
It said such remarks violated the established norms, discipline and ethical framework of the Congress, and that internal leadership and organisational matters must be raised strictly within party forums.
The party further said Jagtap’s conduct undermined collective leadership, damaged its public image and created avoidable confusion and indiscipline at a time when unity and organisational strength were of paramount importance.
It warned that failure to submit a satisfactory reply within the stipulated time would compel the party to proceed further in the matter without any further reference to him.
Earlier, Congress leadership sought to play down the setback. Mumbai Congress chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant defended the outcome, saying the party’s performance was satisfactory given the “adverse” circumstances under which the polls were held.
He said Congress workers fought with determination despite pressure from the ruling alliance.
Sawant alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti misused the police, administration and election machinery, and resorted to “inducement, intimidation and division” during the polls.
“Despite this, Congress workers did not lose courage and fought resolutely,” he said, adding that while the number of seats won was not large, the result was “morale-boosting” and gave the party energy to rebuild its organisation.
The Congress contested the elections without its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners and instead tied up with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), RSP and RPI (Gavai) to contest 152 seats.
However, the allies failed to win any seats. Responding to criticism over the alliance, Sawant said seats were offered to the Vanchit alliance but candidates were not available in some areas, leading to friendly contests in a few wards. “With better planning from both sides, the outcome could have been better,” he said.
In the high-stakes BMC polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, wresting control of the cash-rich civic body from Uddhav Thackeray’s family after nearly three decades.
The Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) won 29 seats, while Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 65 seats in alliance with the MNS, which won six. Smaller parties including AIMIM, NCP and Samajwadi Party also opened their accounts.
The results reflect a broader trend across Maharashtra, where the BJP-led Mahayuti consolidated its dominance in key urban centres, while the MVA struggled to make gains.
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