Congress to focus on winnability in candidate selection for Maharashtra Assembly Polls

Nana Patole/ File Photo

State Congress chief Nana Patole has indicated that the party will prioritise winnability as the key criterion for selecting candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly Polls. Patole mentioned that the party is surveying to identify the best candidates, ensuring they are well-known among the public and have strong community support, reported PTI.

Patole told reporters in Nanded that Congress nominees would represent a variety of castes and communities. "The Congress will field only those candidates in the assembly polls who are known among masses (for their work) and whose names are proposed by people. The party has started a survey of aspirants who have sought tickets to contest as Congress nominees," the Congress chief told the media per PTI.

According to the report, Patole further disclosed that seat-sharing discussions for Maharashtra Assembly Polls with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners - Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress - will begin after a combined meeting of all three parties' office-bearers on August 16. He emphasised that the MVA's primary purpose is to defeat the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the BJP, and Ajit Pawar's NCP, and that the MVA will contest the elections together.

When asked about the probable chief ministerial candidate for the MVA, Patole declined to comment, instead challenging the ruling Mahayuti alliance to name their nominee.

"The MVA's only aim is to defeat the ruling alliance. MVA will fight the Maharashtra Assembly Polls unitedly," Patole said.

Reportedly, Patole also used the opportunity to attack the current administration, accusing them of plagiarising the Congress' Lok Sabha election agenda, which included initiatives for young, women, and the unemployed. He spoke to the "Majhi Ladki Bahin" initiative, which gives financial support to women, and pledged to enhance the monthly payment if elected.

During the Lok Sabha campaign, the Congress introduced the Mahalaxmi initiative, which provides women from low-income households with Rs 1 lakh per year. He told voters that if the MVA is elected, they will keep their pledge, the PTI report added.

Patole also stated that MLAs who betrayed the Congress by cross-voting in the recent legislative council elections would not be awarded tickets to future polls and that their acts would be addressed after the candidate selection process was completed.

Finally, Patole restated the party's position on the need for a caste census, claiming that it is the only way to tackle lingering quota difficulties, the news agency report added.