Nana Patole finds himself amid controversy

Satyajeet Tambe has alleged that he was given wrong AB forms by the Congress in Maharashtra.

NEW DELHI: After Satyajeet Tambe alleged that he was given wrong AB forms by the Congress in Maharashtra, which forced him to contest the MLC election independently, there are indications that the current MPCC chief, Nana Patole, might be at the centre of the controversy. However, according to sources, a meeting will take place on 15 February to resolve the matter.
Party leaders say there was already a wrong perception created within half of the party camp in the state that Tambe is behaving in such a way that he may soon leave the Congress and join the BJP.
“That is how Tambe’s existence was presented in the party—someone who is about to leave,” a Congress leader said. The matter is being seen as a case of politicking by Patole to sideline the emergence of Satyajeet Tambe in the party as well as to mark Balasaheb Thorat (uncle of Satyajeet Tambe) suspicious. Tambe had claimed that the whole process of form filing was faulty and a plot to push him out of the Congress and defame his uncle and former state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat who was also the state legislature party head. He resigned from the position this week, citing inability to work with Patole. Despite the bumps in political relations between Thorat’s family and Patole, it is believed that the meeting could go well and things will be sorted out where Tambe will also be offered to come back into the party.
A Congress party leader said, “He may come back eventually but it is not sure when he will be back. Mostly, he may stay there as an independent for a while because he has recently won it.” A Congress leader said, “Many leaders have been prevented to get close to Rahul Gandhi which created resentment among them. And since then, the Cold War started in the Congress cadre.”
The AB forms are the most important documents, which signify that a certain candidate has been approved by a political party and should be allotted the election symbol of that party. Generally, the forms of national parties are flawless and are rejected only if submitted after the deadline. Tambe had alleged that he had received two AB forms in a sealed envelope (of Nagpur and Aurangabad teachers’ constituencies) signed by state Congress chief Nana Patole, and were faulty.