Filing nomination against MVA: Cong suspends 28 rebels
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Maharashtra: Just days ahead of the Assembly elections, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) intensified its disciplinary actions, suspending seven additional rebel candidates for anti-party activities. Earlier in the day, 21 other rebels were suspended, bringing the total number of suspensions to 28 across 22 constituencies. These rebels filed nominations against Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates in the upcoming elections.
The MVA alliance comprises Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress. The 288-member Maharashtra Assembly election is scheduled for November 20, with vote counting set for November 23, alongside the Jharkhand elections.
Among the suspended leaders are former minister Rajendra Mulak (contesting from Ramtek), Yagnyavalk Jichkar (Katol), Kamal Vyawhare (Kasba), Manoj Shinde (Kopri Pachpakhadi), and Aaba Bagul (Parvati). These rebels filed nominations across 22 constituencies.
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who is overseeing the party's campaign in Maharashtra, had already suspended eight rebels on Thursday. He emphasized that the party does not accept “friendly fights” within the MVA alliance, referring to the controversy in Sangli during the Lok Sabha elections. The seat-sharing arrangement had allotted Sangli to Shiv Sena, which prompted Vishal Patil, grandson of former Maharashtra CM Vasantdada Patil, to contest independently before eventually supporting Congress.
With PTI inputs