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At Jaipur resort, Congress MLAs want power with Sena-NCP, but wait for Delhi signal

The MLAs were brought to a private resort in Pili Ka Talai, a nondescript village off the Delhi-Jaipur highway, on Friday and Saturday.

Outside the private resort at Pili Ka Talai village off the Delhi-Jaipur highway, on Monday. (Express)

NEWLY-ELECTED Congress legislators are said to be keen to be part of the government with Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, but would await for the final word from the top Congress leadership.

The MLAs were brought to a private resort in Pili Ka Talai, a nondescript village off the Delhi-Jaipur highway, on Friday and Saturday. Since then, several VIPs including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot have drove down the pothole-filled roads to visit them. The gate at the resort opens only for senior Congress leaders.

Read | As Governor invites Sena, mood in Pune: Congress, NCP upbeat

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“In the past five years, Maharashtra has seen a decline and to bring the state to number one position, what alliance is needed… in this regard, we will abide by whatever our high command says. The legislature party will act as per the wishes of the high command,” Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra Husain Dalwai said Monday. When asked about his opinion if the party should join hands with Sena, he did not respond.

According to a senior Congress leader from Rajasthan who didn’t wish to be named, at a meeting on Sunday, the newly-elected legislators expressed their keenness to join a government with Shiv Sena and NCP as partners. “Most of the MLAs said they believed they would be better off being a part of the government led by Shiv Sena rather than supporting it from outside,” he said.

Festive offer

Some of the MLAs had also gone for sightseeing in Ajmer on Sunday, while the rest stayed back, occasionally taking a stroll in its sprawling compound.

The legislature party meeting on Sunday had taken place in the presence of senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who later said the Congress’s mandate was to sit in the opposition in Maharashtra. He also said it was up to the high command to decide on lending support to the Shiv Sena.

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At around 12:30 pm Monday, long after Kharge left for Delhi, three former chief ministers of Maharashtra — Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan — exit the resort and left for Delhi where a Congress Working Committee meeting was scheduled.

“Even though the MLAs have expressed their interest in joining the government with the Shiv Sena, some senior leaders from the Maharashtra Congress are reluctant because they fear it will damage their political clout and following in the state. That’s the issue in front of the high command,” said the senior Congress leader.

According to Congress sources, Rajasthan was chosen as the place to keep its MLAs given its proximity to Maharashtra, the fact that it is a Congress-ruled and also because the party’s in-charge in Rajasthan, Avinash Pandey, is a seasoned politician from Maharashtra and has been a Rajya Sabha MP from the state.

First uploaded on: 12-11-2019 at 02:08 IST
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