'Maha' shock to Congress: MLA Jitesh Antapurkar meets 'guru' Ashok Chavan amid cross-voting allegations

Jitesh Antapurkar, Congress MLA from Nanded's Degloor-Biloli assembly constituency, recently held a discreet meeting with BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan. Antapurkar regards Chavan as his political guru and the meeting was incidentally held on Sunday on the occasion of Gurupurnima. 

The meeting, which sparked rumours that Antapurkar could join the BJP, came amid allegations of Congress candidates cross-voting in favour of the Mahayuti candidates in the recently held legislative council elections.

Moreover, he did not campaign for the Congress candidate Vasantrao Chavan in the Lok Sabha elections, as per media reports. After these allegations, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nana Patole met Antapurkar and even warned the latter of disciplinary action. 

Was Nana Patole's warning too little too late? Well, Congress insiders anticipated Antapurkar's actions but the party's state leadership did not act in time, a Congress office bearer from Nanded told TOI.

Not just Antapurkar, Nanded South assembly MLA Mohanrao Hambarde is also likely to leave the Congress soon. Antapurkar and Hambarde are likely to tender their resignation within 2 weeks' time, ABP Majha reported. 

Last week, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said that the party has taken action against those MLAs who have cross-voted in the elections to 11 seats of the Maharashtra legislative council. However, he did not specify the number of MLAs who cross-voted in favour of the Mahayuti. 

In the biennial MLC elections held on July 12, Congress had 37 MLAs and had fixed a quota of 30 first preference votes for its candidate Pradnya Satav and the remaining 7 votes would go to Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Milind Narvekar. 

Satav got 25 first preference votes and Narvekar 22, implying at least 7 Congress MLAs were involved in cross-voting.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai said on Monday that the Congress must show courage to take action against MLAs who cross-voted if the grand old party has really found out the errant MLAs. 

"They can't control what is happening in their own party or the MVA. MVA MLAs are unhappy and they are openly helping Mahayuti. This has become very clear. So they must first see what is happening within their own homes," the minister said.

Desai's remarks came a day after Congress MLA from Igatpuri Hiraman Khoskar met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.