Mpcc Polls Delayed, Patch-Up Efforts On

The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) elections were delayed here yesterday with frantic efforts on to arrive at a consensus regarding the next state unit president to ensure a smooth succession.

MPCC chief Sushil Kumar Shinde extended the deadline for withdrawal of nominations four times and a party spokesperson claimed the ballot papers were still under preparation.

Voting by the 590 delegates, the same electoral college which exercised its franchise in the AICC presidential polls on Tuesday, is expected to begin only around 2130 hours immediately after the revised deadline for withdrawals. The contest at the national level between the Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sharad Pawar and interim party president Sitaram Kesri has percolated to the state level.

Nine candidates have filed their nominations for the top post with Pawar backing the candidature of former Maharashtra minister Ranjit Deshmukh who hails from Nagpur in Vidarbha.

Of the other candidates, seven of them are regarded as Kesri loyalists including a former MPCC president Shivajirao Deshmukh and two former MPs Prataprao Bhosale and Major Sudhir Sawant.

Other loyalist candidates in the field were Srikant Jichkar, Mukul Wasnik, Vilas Muttemwar and Patangrao Kadam.

The loyalties of another candidate, Ulhas Pawar, were perceived to be divided.

Meanwhile, rival camps held meetings of PCC delegates.

Pawar addressed a closed door meeting of PCC delegates at the Yeshwantrao Chavan Pratishthan here, while the Kesri camp followers held their consultations at the residence of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shakarrao Naik.