On Monday (June 20), Congress workers protested against its own party after its Dalit candidate Chandrakant Handore suffered a major loss in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.
In a video shared by ABP News journalist Jitendra K Dixit, the Congress party workers took to the streets in Chembur and raised slogans of ‘Congress Murdabad.’ They were reportedly miffed about the cross-voting within the party during the MLC elections.
As per reports, the grand-old party had fielded two candidates, namely, Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap, despite knowing that it had the numbers to ensure the victory of only one candidate.
Congress workers in Chembur, Mumbai protesting against their own party over defeat of Chandrakant Handore, party’s candidate in MLC elections due to cross voting. pic.twitter.com/IvVBCWZxG1
— Jitendra.K.Dixit, Bombayman (@jitendradixit) June 20, 2022
Handore was projected as Congress’ first choice. Given that it would require the vote from its allies, it was expected that the MLC candidate Bhai Jagtap would have slim chances.
When results emerged, it was found that Bhai Jagtap won the elections while the Congress party’s lone Dalit candidate lost. Reportedly, the party had fielded Chandrakant Handore in the hopes of securing Dalit votes in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MLC) polls.
While speaking about the matter to The Indian Express, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said, “It is unfortunate that Dalit candidate Chrandkant Handore, who supposedly got the first preference, lost to a Congress candidate of second preference Bhai Jagtap. This is very bad and prima facie, it looks like sabotage by our own people.”
Chandrakant Handore and its relationship with the Congress
Handore had earlier served as a BMC corporator in 1985 and as the mayor of Mumbai between 1992-1993. Hailed as a Dalit activist, he was earlier associated with the Republican Party of India.
He later joined the Congress party and won the Assembly elections from Chembur consecutively in 2004 and 2009. Chandrakant Handore was appointed as Maharastra Congress’ Working President in February last year.
Performance of the BJP in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections
The Bharatiya Janata Party had outperformed its political rivals, namely, the Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the MLC elections.
While the saffron party bagged 5 seats, NCP got 2, Congress got 1 and Shiv Sena secured 2 seats only. Ram Shinde, Uma Khapre, Prasad Lad, Pravin Darekar and Shrikant Bhartiya of the BJP emerged victorious in the MLC polls.
BJP leader and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis remarked, “We have got all five candidates elected. In Rajya Sabha, BJP got 123 votes. In the council elections, we got 134 votes. For our 5th candidate, we didn’t have the votes. But he got more votes than two Congress candidates.”
