Maha Cong to find it hard to retain LS seats won in ’09
17 Feb 2014 12:57 AM GMT
Congress in Maharashtra has admitted that it is going to be a tough challenge for it to maintain its 2009 tally of 17 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming general elections.
The party had last time contested 26 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Out of the 17 won by it, five are from Mumbai and party MPs and office-bearers have asked the leadership that Congress interests in the country’s financial capital have to be safeguarded at any cost.
‘There are 70 lakh slum dwellers in Mumbai and the election promise of regularising slums till the year 2000 has to be implemented,’ Congress leaders from Mumbai told chief minister Prithviraj Chavan at a meeting on Saturday.
The party hopes that the commencement of the monorail and the soon-to-be-functional metro will stand it in good stead with the middle class voters in the metropolis.
Sources said the chief minister was told that the criteria of Rs 60,000 annual income in Mumbai to get benefits of the Food Security Act would not serve the interest of the Congress party.
In the last two days, Chavan, state Congress chief Manikrao Thakare and AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Mohan Prakash held a series of deliberations with party leaders to discuss strategy for the crucial Lok Sabha polls.
‘There is some sentiment in favour of AAP and Narendra Modi on the ground and we need to counter that,’ party sources said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state is being planned in the first week of March before the election code of conduct comes into force.
‘Interactions of Gandhi with hawkers, fishermen, minorities, slum dwellers, women and youth are being planned. This will help us to launch our campaign,’ sources added.
At Saturday’s meeting, discussions pertained to evolving a consensus on elective merit of the aspirants in nine Lok Sabha constituencies where the party was defeated in 2009.
Medha Patkar may make it more tough for NCP to retain Mumbai-NE
Mumbai: The candidature of social activist Medha Patkar from Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituency on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket comes as bad news for Congress-NCP which made a clean sweep in the financial capital in 2009.
Patkar’s name is in the list of 20 candidates announced by AAP for the general elections on Sunday.
NCP sources said sitting MP Sanjay Patil, who is also the president of the Sharad Pawar-led party’s city unit, was facing resentment from inside the party and from Congress.
‘Congress accused him of sabotaging its candidates in the municipal elections two years ago. NCP corporators and senior leaders are also not in favour of him,’ a source said.
The constituency has a sizable Dalit population, which had helped RPI leader Ramdas Athawale in the past. But now Athawale, recently elected to Rajya Sabha, is with Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.
Patkar shot to fame with Narmada Bachao Andolan.
The party had last time contested 26 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Out of the 17 won by it, five are from Mumbai and party MPs and office-bearers have asked the leadership that Congress interests in the country’s financial capital have to be safeguarded at any cost.
‘There are 70 lakh slum dwellers in Mumbai and the election promise of regularising slums till the year 2000 has to be implemented,’ Congress leaders from Mumbai told chief minister Prithviraj Chavan at a meeting on Saturday.
The party hopes that the commencement of the monorail and the soon-to-be-functional metro will stand it in good stead with the middle class voters in the metropolis.
Sources said the chief minister was told that the criteria of Rs 60,000 annual income in Mumbai to get benefits of the Food Security Act would not serve the interest of the Congress party.
In the last two days, Chavan, state Congress chief Manikrao Thakare and AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Mohan Prakash held a series of deliberations with party leaders to discuss strategy for the crucial Lok Sabha polls.
‘There is some sentiment in favour of AAP and Narendra Modi on the ground and we need to counter that,’ party sources said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state is being planned in the first week of March before the election code of conduct comes into force.
‘Interactions of Gandhi with hawkers, fishermen, minorities, slum dwellers, women and youth are being planned. This will help us to launch our campaign,’ sources added.
At Saturday’s meeting, discussions pertained to evolving a consensus on elective merit of the aspirants in nine Lok Sabha constituencies where the party was defeated in 2009.
Medha Patkar may make it more tough for NCP to retain Mumbai-NE
Mumbai: The candidature of social activist Medha Patkar from Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituency on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket comes as bad news for Congress-NCP which made a clean sweep in the financial capital in 2009.
Patkar’s name is in the list of 20 candidates announced by AAP for the general elections on Sunday.
NCP sources said sitting MP Sanjay Patil, who is also the president of the Sharad Pawar-led party’s city unit, was facing resentment from inside the party and from Congress.
‘Congress accused him of sabotaging its candidates in the municipal elections two years ago. NCP corporators and senior leaders are also not in favour of him,’ a source said.
The constituency has a sizable Dalit population, which had helped RPI leader Ramdas Athawale in the past. But now Athawale, recently elected to Rajya Sabha, is with Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.
Patkar shot to fame with Narmada Bachao Andolan.
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