Maharashtra Government Not In Trouble, Says Congress Amid Crisis

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday said there was no threat to the state Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and his party leaders would discuss the current political developments in the state during a meeting in Mumbai.

Mr Patole's comments came in the wake of Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde along with some Sena MLAs apparently camping in Gujarat's Surat city, a day after the Sena-led MVA, which also comprises the NCP and Congress, suffered a setback in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls by losing one out of the six seats it contested.

The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress had nominated two candidates each for 10 seats up for grabs, but Congress's Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore lost the poll. The BJP won all the five seats it contested.

Talking to reporters in Nagpur on Tuesday on the political 'crisis' in Maharashtra, Mr Patole claimed this was a part of BJP's politics going on in the country.

"The BJP is misusing power it has at the Centre, which is now not hidden from anyone. A money-power circle is going on. They are pursuing the path of lies, but truth will win. This phase shall pass," the Congress leader said.

Mr Patole also said state Congress leaders will meet in Mumbai later in the day wherein "we will be taking a stand on what is happening."

He also asserted that there was no threat to the MVA government and claimed that getting the majority figure (in the 288-member state Assembly) was a distant dream for the BJP.

To a query on Congress MLAs cross-voting in the MLC elections on Monday, Mr Patole said, "Cross-voting has been done, we will examine it and convey to the high command about it."

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan declined to comment on state minister Eknath Shinde going incommunicado and camping at a hotel in Gujarat with some Sena MLAs. He, however, said the Congress candidate's defeat in the Legislative Council polls on Monday was a cause of concern.

"I will not speak on the developments in the Shiv Sena. The Congress is meeting to discuss the Council poll results in which a Dalit face of the party lost. This has sent a very wrong message. We have to discuss what went wrong, how many MLAs cross-voted and where did the votes go," Mr Chavan told reporters in Mumbai before the Congress Legislature Party meeting.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)