Nana Patole: ‘Loss in Pune and Akola Lok Sabha Constituencies Saddened Me Deeply’
Pune, 23rd June 2024: Maharashtra State President of the Indian National Congress, Nana Patole, held a review meeting at Pune Congress Bhavan after Congress lost the Pune Lok Sabha seat, which had been anticipated to be a tough contest but resulted in a significant defeat for the party. In this review meeting, Congress Pune City President Arvind Shinde, Kasba Peth MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, Mohan Joshi, Kamal Vyavhare, Ramesh Bagwe, Balasaheb Shivarkar, Sanjay Balgude, and others were present.
During the meeting, Nana Patole said, “The loss in Pune and Akola saddened me very much. The candidate doesn’t fight the election; the party does. The office bearers in Pune and Akola have the potential to lead the state. What ‘Pooja-Paath’ I’ll have to do for Pune, I don’t know. But I know who caused mischief in the Lok Sabha elections, and I’ll address it. If anyone thinks that the party cannot run without them, remove that thought from your mind. People are ready to vote for Congress, but it seems some of you are not committed in Pune. I am going to meet the polling station heads separately and review the wards. We are going to fight to win the Municipal Corporation and Vidhan Sabha, so start preparing for it now. Go door to door and make contact.”
Patole continued, “Even if we lose in Pune, many others are ready to join our party. The alliance parties have demanded 6 Assembly seats in Pune, so don’t get distracted. The more good opinions people have about us, the more good opinions they will have about the party. Keep this in mind. Modi cannot remain in power; this was proven in the Lok Sabha results. Convey to the voters that the current central government is paralyzed. To achieve this, assign objectives to polling station chiefs, workers, and office bearers.”
As Nana Patole convened a review meeting of the Congress in the city, former party representatives, office bearers, and workers gathered at the Congress Bhawan. Mukesh Dhiwar, the state president of the Rahul Priyanka Gandhi Sena, arrived with a placard questioning potential changes among the city Congress office bearers. Suddenly, he was attacked by four or five individuals and forcibly removed from the Congress Bhavan. This incident created tension for some time.
Following the assault on Dhiwar, efforts to file a case at the Shivajinagar Police Station continued late into the night. Police personnel stationed at the Congress Bhavan promptly detained one of the assailants. Senior Police Inspector Chandrasekhar Sawant of Shivajinagar Police Station stated that measures to take appropriate action were currently underway.
