Chandrakant Handore likely to join Shinde faction as cracks within Maharashtra Congress widen
India Today
Congress leader Chandrakant Handore is likely to join the Shinde faction after suffering defeat in MLA polls due to cross-voting by Congress MLAs.
Former Mumbai mayor and Dalit leader Chandrakant Handore is likely to join the Shinde faction as cracks within the Maharashtra Congress widen. Cross-voting by Congress MLAs had led to the defeat of Chandrakant Handore in the MLC polls.
The party has since appointed senior leader Mohan Prakash to conduct an inquiry into recent political developments, after the party saw cross-voting by seven of its MLAs in the Legislative Council elections.
On Sunday, Handore, who is the working president of the Congress unit in the state, called a meeting of all workers and leaders and expressed his displeasure about suffering defeat due to cross-voting by Congress MLAs.
There is also speculation that CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis contacted Chandrakant Handore. According to sources, Handore has been invited to join the Shinde faction ahead of the upcoming local body polls.
READ | Congress issues notice to 11 Maharashtra MLAs for no-show during Eknath Shinde's trust vote
The Congress, which has 44 MLAs in the state, was a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government which collapsed in June following a rebellion by a section of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde.
A total of 11 Congress MLAs, including some former ministers, were absent during voting on the motion of confidence moved in the Assembly on July 4 which was comfortably won by the Shinde-led government which is being supported by the BJP.
