Congress MLAs authorise Kharge to nominate CLP leader, chief whip in Maha

Mumbai: Newly-elected Congress MLAs in Maharashtra on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution authorising party chief

Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the new legislature party leader and chief whip in the state Assembly.

The Congress’ state unit will launch a signature campaign to demand that ballot papers be used in the elections instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) as the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections were not in sync with public sentiments, a party leader said.

These decisions were taken at the Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting held here.

The Congress, which contested 101 seats in the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections, could win only 16, registering its worst ever performance in the state.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, state Congress chief Nana Patole said, “The newly-elected Congress MLAs unanimously passed a resolution authorising party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint a new leader of the legislature party and chief whip in the Assembly.”

During the meeting, the party leaders and newly-elected legislators expressed doubt over the functioning of EVMs, saying the mandate was not in sync with public sentiments.