Ashok Chavan quits Congress: Sanjay Raut mocks former CM's exit from grand old party

Sanjay Raut/ screengrab

After former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan quit the Congress party, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that Chavan might now stake a claim to the Congress party and its emblem, the 'hand.' Raut drew comparisons with recent political defections in Maharashtra, implying that such an outcome was possible.

Raut expressed surprise at Chavan's unexpected exit from the Congress and questioned whether he would follow in the footsteps of Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who successfully claimed the Shiv Sena party emblem after breaking from their respective parties. Raut's remarks highlighted the state's changing political allegiances, per ANI report.

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"I can't believe it. Till yesterday they were together, discussing; today he left... Will Chavan, like Eknath Mindhe and Ajit Pawar, now claim Congress and take the 'hand' symbol? And will the Election Commission give it to them? Anything can happen in our country," Raut said in his social media post.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore shared a scene from the famous film 'Sholay,' comparing Chavan's resignation to a moment of terror that led to defeat and the party general secretary Jairam Ramesh, without mincing his words, labelled him a 'traitor'.

Amid speculation over Chavan's likely shift to the BJP, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis warned that numerous Congress leaders could join the BJP due to unhappiness among their party ranks. Fadnavis' statements hinted at altering dynamics in Maharashtra's political scene, with implications for both the Congress and the BJP, reported ANI.

"Several tall leaders of other parties want to join the BJP. Especially, several Congress leaders are in touch with us because of the behaviour of the senior leaders. They are feeling suffocated in their party. Who all are in our contact that will be revealed soon. Aage aage dekhiye hota hain kya," Fadnavis told ANI.

Chavan's resignation dealt a huge blow to the Congress party, which was aggravated by the exits of other key leaders, including Milind Deora and Baba Siddique. Chavan's political career, which includes multiple terms in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and a spell as Chief Minister, has been marked by controversy, including allegations of corruption in the Adarsh Housing Society fraud.

"Today i.e. on Monday, February 12, 2024, I have tendered my resignation as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 85-Bhokar Assembly Constituency to the Assembly Speaker Rahulji Narwekar," Chavan said in one of his posts and followed up with, "Today i.e. on Monday, February 12, 2024, I have tendered my resignation as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from 85-Bhokar Assembly Constituency to the Assembly Speaker Rahulji Narvekar."