Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan Leaves Congress, MLA Position

Ashok Chavan, the former chief minister of Maharashtra, has resigned from the Congress party and his position in the state’s legislative assembly. His resignation letter to Nana Patole, the Congress state committee leader, simply states, “I am resigning from the Congress Party.”

Chavan met with the state legislative assembly speaker, Rahul Narvekar, in the morning. He then announced on X that he had resigned as MLA.

“Today i.e. on Monday, February 12, 2024, I have tendered my resignation as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 85-Bhokar Assembly Constituency to the Assembly Speaker Rahulji Narvekar,” he stated in his resignation letter. It is expected that he would join the Bharatiya Janata Party later today.

Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader, posted on X that he can’t believe Chavan has quit the Congress. “He stayed around till yesterday, discussing political stuff. And today, he has left the party. Will Chavan claim the party symbol now, as Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar have done? He wrote, “Anything is possible in this country.”

Rohit Pawar, MLA of the NCP (Sharad Pawar group), stated, “At a time when there is a true need to fight for an idea, senior leaders are leaving the very political theory that has guided them their entire lives and joining forces with the BJP. “This is very unfortunate.”

Pawar went on to say, “Since this attempt to break parties will continue, the real battle for identity and ideology will have to be fought by the common people and the people are ready for it.”

Chavan was sworn in as chief minister in 2008 but was forced to resign in 2010 after being implicated in the Adarsh cooperative housing society scam.

He is the son of Shankarrao Chavan, a former state chief minister.

Chavan has also represented his hometown and stronghold, Nanded, in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019. In the 2014 election, he was one of only two Congress politicians to win a seat in Maharashtra. In 2015, he was appointed as Congress state president. In 2019, he lost Nanded to the BJP.

On Monday, Ashok Chavan, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader, resigned from the party’s primary membership. He sent a one-line resignation letter to both the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president, Nana Patole.

“I hereby submit my resignation from primary membership of the Indian National Congress Party with immediate effect from noon on 12/02/2024,” Chavan’s resignation letter simply stated. “I have tendered my resignation as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the 85-Bhokar Assembly Constituency to the Assembly Speaker Rahulji Narvekar,” Chavan stated after leaving the Congress. Amarnath Rajurkar, a former member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council whose tenure ended recently, has resigned from all party positions, along with Ashok Chavan.

This comes after other Congress heavyweights, Baba Siddique and Milind Deora, departed the party. Baba Siddique joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) group led by Ajit Pawar, whereas Deora joined the Shinde Sena, which is led by Eknath Shinde. It is currently unknown whether Ashok Chavan will join the NCP, Shinde Sena, or Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

According to sources, the BJP is considering offering Chavan a Rajya Sabha seat. They further claimed that 10-12 MLAs are in contact with Chavan and may switch sides in due course. Meanwhile, top BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged political analysts and observers to wait and see what happens in the coming days. He further suggested that leaders with broad appeal are feeling suffocated within the Congress party.

“I heard about Ashok Chavan through the media. But all I can say today is that numerous good Congress leaders are in contact with the BJP. Those leaders who are linked to the masses feel smothered in Congress. I am convinced that some prominent figures will enter Congress. Fadnavis replied, “Wait and see what happens in the coming days.”

Maharashtra BJP head Chandrashekhar Bawankule echoed Fadnavis’ views, claiming that there is disagreement and internal fighting inside the Maharashtra Congress. Bawankule stated that there is no leader and Rahul Gandhi is attacking the OBC group, which he believes is why people are quitting the great old party.

He further suggested that leaders with broad appeal are feeling suffocated within the Congress party.

“I heard about Ashok Chavan through the media. But all I can say today is that numerous good Congress leaders are in contact with the BJP. Those leaders who are linked to the masses feel smothered in Congress. I am convinced that some prominent figures will enter Congress. Fadnavis replied, “Wait and see what happens in the coming days.”

Ashok Chavan

Maharashtra BJP head Chandrashekhar Bawankule echoed Fadnavis’ views, claiming that there is disagreement and internal fighting inside the Maharashtra Congress. Bawankule stated that there is no leader and Rahul Gandhi is attacking the OBC group, which he believes is why people are quitting the great old party.

Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra head Minister Uddhav Thackeray was “surprised” by Chavan’s departure from the Congress. “I’m astonished about Ashok Chavan. He was engaged in seat distribution until yesterday, when he abruptly switched. I believe he has opted for Rajya Sabha. “Everyone seems to be thinking of themselves,” Thackeray observed.

Ashok Chavan, the son of the state’s former chief minister Late Shankarrao Chavan, was sworn in as chief minister in 2008 when Vilasrao Deshmukh resigned, asserting moral responsibility for the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

After being implicated in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society fraud, Chavan was forced to resign as Maharashtra Chief Minister in 2010. In the following year, a Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) stated that the scandal exposed how a group of select officials in high-ranking positions could circumvent norms and regulations to obtain prime government land for personal gain.

Aside from his term as Chief Minister, Chavan has also represented his stronghold Nanded district in the Marathwada area in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and 2019. In 2015, he was appointed as Congress state president.

 

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