Cong examines winnability of sitting MLAs in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Aug 22 (UNI) With nearly two years left for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, the Congress today began an exercise to ascertain the winnability of their sitting MLAs and inquiring about pending development works in their constituencies.

For this, forms were distributed to individual MLAs by AICC general secretary Margaret Alva and her deputy Siddharth Patel during their day-long interaction with the MLAs at Sahaydri guest house in South Mumbai.

Ms Alva, who is on a three-day visit to the city to meet ministers, MLAs and office bearers, today met the party MLAs regionwise.

Among the questions asked to the MLAs were details of their constituencies, number of terms in the Legislative Assembly, margin of votes in the last election, details about the guardian minister, contact minister and district minister, PCC office bearer in charge of their constituency and whether all the concerned visit the constituency regularly.

She also asked them about their problems in the districts and constituencies. They were asked to give their views on the functioning of the District Congress Committees and frontal organisations in their constituencies and districts.

The MLAs were also asked to give a list of pending development works and the duration of delay by the state and Central governments.

Similarly, the MLAs were required to furnish details of the number of Municipal corporations, Panchayat Samitis, Zilla Parishads, Gram Panchayats, Sarpanchs.

They asked who was the main opposition party in their constituency and whether they were confident of winning their seats again.

Sources said about 40 to 45 of the total 75 MLAs attended the meeting. State unit president Prabha Rau and senior cabinet minister Patangrao Kadam were also present.

Interestingly, former Madhya Pradesh chief Minister Digvijay Singh, known to be close to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, was also present at the meet. When contacted, he said he was in Mumbai for a private function.

UNI