Feeling sidelined by ministers, 25 Maharashtra Congress MLAs want to meet Sonia Gandhi

Some of the MLAs told ET that ministers, especially Congress ministers, in MVA were ‘not in sync’ with them “How will the party fare well in elections if ministers overlook MLAs’ requests for implementing work in constituencies,” one of them asked.

Indicating lack of coordination in the party, the MLAs said that they came to know only last week that each Congress minister was entrusted with three party MLAs in his care to address their issues appropriately. “We came to know only when HK Patil held a meeting recently that Congress ministers were allotted three MLAs each. It was apparently done a few months after MVA government was formed, but we came to know about it only now, 2.5 years before the next elections. Even now, no one knows which minister is attached to us,” said another Congress MLA.

Other Congress MLAs said that the party lagged behind the Nationalist Congress Party as deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar regular meets NCP MLAs, allocate funds and listens to their grievances. “NCP is stealing a march on us. More funds are allocated to NCP ministries and if things remain the same, then Congress in Maharashtra would end up a marginal player like in other states,” said another Congress MLA. The legislators said that there was urgency to act after the party’s debacle in Punjab. If the party ‘remains listless’ in Maharashtra, there could be ‘similar consequences,’ they said.