Maha: Balasaheb Thorat resigns as Congress legislature party chief

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday resigned as the state legislature party head, a day after his letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over friction with state unit chief

Nana Patole came out, party sources said.

Patole, however, said he was not aware of any such move by Thorat and claimed that his predecessor doesn’t speak “with us”, while the BJP said its doors are open if the Congress leader wishes to switch sides.

Thorat, who represents the Sangamner constituency in Ahmednagar district, has sent his resignation to the party high command, said the sources.

The Congress leader is the maternal uncle of Satyajit Tambe who recently won the Legislative Council election from the Nashik division graduates constituency as an independent candidate.

An aide of Thorat had earlier said that the Congress leader had written to the Congress central leadership citing his inability to work with Patole due to the latter’s “anger” towards him. Thorat also said he was not being consulted before decisions were being taken, the aide added.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday here, Patole said, “I have not received any resignation letter from Thorat. He has not been speaking to us for the past few days. Maybe he is talking to the media.”

“If I receive his letter, I will comment on it,” said the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also sought to cash in on the Congress infighting.