In a crucial meeting held on November 27, 2024, newly-elected Congress MLAs in Maharashtra authorized party president Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and the chief whip. This decision follows the party’s poor performance in the recent state assembly elections, where Congress secured only 16 seats out of 101 contested. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole moved the resolution at the party’s Tilak Bhavan headquarters.
In addition to leadership changes, the meeting saw Congress reaffirming its stance on the ongoing debate over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Party leaders, citing irregularities in the election results, announced a statewide signature campaign to demand the return of ballot papers for elections. Patole emphasized, “We will not talk about EVMs but will only demand the return of ballot papers,” stressing that the election process had shaken the people’s trust.
Congress and MVA allies blame EVM malfunctioning for poor election results, citing vote discrepancies and charge inconsistencies as concerns.
Former CM Prithviraj Chavan and party leaders urge election reforms, planning to petition the President, PM, and Election Commission.
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