Ranjit Deshmukh renames outfit 'Vidarbha Vikas Aghadi'

Nagpur, May 28 (UNI) Rebel Congress leader Ranjit Deshmukh has renamed his political outfit 'Kisan Vikas Aghadi' (KVA) as 'Vidarbha Vikas Aghadi' (VVA).

Speaking to newsmen here yesterday, Mr Deshmukh said VVA would shortly apply to the Election Commission for registration as a political party.

The outfit had been renamed to give it a more representative nature and would take up issues like statehood for Vidarbha, problems of farmers in the region, unemployment, minority welfare and economic development, Mr Deshmukh said.

The flag, constitution and organisational structure of the VVA had been finalised at a meeting of the organisation's members held earlier in the day, he said.

VVA had also formed various wings for women, youth, students, unemployed and backward class students, among others, he said.

Mr Deshmukh has already announced that his outfit would contest all the seats in Vidarbha in the next elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, due in 2009.

A staunch supporter of a separate Vidarbha state, Mr Deshmukh said that if pro-statehood organisations decided to form a common front on the issue, then VVA would merge itself into it.

Mr Deshmukh had floated the KVA as a 'non-political organisation' just before the elections to Nagpur Zilla Parishad (ZP) in March last. It had fielded candidates in all the 59 ZP constituencies.

A former Maharashtra minister and a former chief of the state unit of the Congress, Mr Deshmukh raised the banner of revolt after the party denied him a ticket for the recent by-election from Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency in Vidarbha, and entered the fray independently.

He was later expelled from the party for six years.

Although technically an independent candidate, Mr Deshmukh had sought votes in the name of KVA during the electioneering for the April nine by-poll in Ramtek. Mr Deshmukh lost his deposit, but his presence in the fray is considered to have helped the Shiv Sena retain the seat for the third consecutive time.

The by-election in Ramtek was held because Subodh Mohite, who was elected in 2004 on a Shiv Sena ticket, resigned from the party and the House to join the Congress. Mr Mohite was the Congress nominee in the by-poll. The Shiv Sena had fielded Prakash Jadhav, who went on to win.

UNI