Chennithala calls for unity to strengthen MVA against BJP in Maharashtra

Ramesh Chennithala urged the Maharashtra unit of the party to prepare for the coming Assembly polls.

Former Kerala Home Minister and AICC in-charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala on Friday urged the Maharashtra unit of the party to prepare for the coming Assembly polls, which are scheduled for October, following their strong performance in the Lok Sabha polls.

He said the grand old party had the responsibility of bolstering the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, and stressed the importance of unity within the coalition to challenge the BJP effectively. “It is the duty of the Congress to fortify the MVA,” Mr. Chennithala said, addressing the newly-elected Congress MPs from the western State.

The senior Congress leader asked them to stay connected with the grassroots, citing uncertainty about the longevity of the incoming BJP-led NDA government. “Coalition politics is all about cooperation and reciprocity and gave unity call to take on the BJP. In a coalition, there has to be give and take. There is no big brother. Everyone needs to work unitedly to defeat the BJP,” Mr. Chennithala said.

With the MVA securing 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the State, he expressed satisfaction with the party’s 13-seat victory and outlined the goal of winning Assembly polls as the party of the alliance.

He criticised the party’s lone Lok Sabha win in 2019 as a setback, but expressed confidence in the party’s resurgence, especially with grassroots mobilisation in focus for the upcoming polls. “Winning just one Lok Sabha seat in 2019 in Maharashtra, once the party’s stronghold, was insulting. All those who have won now are first-time MPs as they were fielded after consulting block and district presidents. In the upcoming Assembly elections, grassroots cadres will be given prominence,” he said, adding that ‘Maharashtra is a Congress State’.

Mr. Chennithala also questioned the moral legitimacy of Narendra Modi’s reappointment as Prime Minister in the light of the BJP’s failure to secure a simple majority in the Lok Sabha polls. “We don’t know how long the new government will last. All MPs must stay tuned to the ground,” he said.

The inclusion of Vishal Patil, newly-elected Independent MP from Sangli, who joined the meeting on Friday, boosted the party’s effective seat count to 14 from the State, and 100 in the Lok Sabha.