Congress To Reach Century In Parliament As Rebel Vishal Patil Returns (Photo @kharge)
As the Lok Sabha election result was declared on June 4, the Congress party improved its Lok Sabha seats from 52 to 99, regaining its grassroots influence across the country. Notably, the grand old party might probably reach the century mark as the party rebel and the grandson of former Maharashtra chief minister Vasantadada Patil, Vishal Patil, who won as an independent candidate from Maharashtra, extended his support to the Congress party.
Vishal Patil announced his decision to back the party on Thursday and handed over a letter of support to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Talking about the development, Congress MLA Vishwajit Kadam said that with Vishal Patil’s support, the party’s strength would go up to the 100 mark in the lower house.
Vishal Patil had defeated the two-time sitting BJP MP Sanjaykaka Patil from Sangli constituency. During the seat-sharing discussions among the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners, the Sangli was given to the Shiv Sena-UBT, triggering the rebellion from Vishal Patil. He then decided to face the election as an independent and emerged victorious from the seat.
Read also: “Taking All Responsibility…”: Ajit Pawar’s Response On NCP’s Poor Performance In Electoral Poll
During the seat-sharing talk, the Uddhav Sena had insisted for the seat, creating troubles among the local Congress leadership. The grand old party, after requesting to reconsider its decision had surrendered to Sena’s demand. However, the MVA alliance, which included Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress showcased a stunning performance, winning 30 out of 48 seats from Maharashtra.
Uddhav Sena secured nine seats of the 21 seats it contested, surpassing the numbers its rival Shinde-led Sena received. Notably, the grand old party emerged as the strongest in the MVA alliance, winning 13 seats out of 17 it contested.
Read also: “Get Speaker’s Post”: Uddhav Sena’s Aditya Thackeray Has A Message For BJP Allies
In a post hailing the electoral verdict from Maharashtra, where the BJP and its allies lost several sitting seats, while the opposition alliance gained significant upper-hand, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed the support from the newly elect Vishal Patil.
People of Maharashtra defeated the politics of treachery, arrogance and division.
It is a fitting tribute to our inspiring stalwarts like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar who fought for social justice, equality and freedom.… pic.twitter.com/lOn3uYZIFk
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 6, 2024
