Congress unhappy over NCP move in Thane LS bypoll

Thane, Apr 20 (UNI) The Congress has taken a serious exception to what it termed a unilateral decision of the Nationalist Congress Party to announce its candidate for the May 22 bypolls to the Thane Lok Sabha constituency.

Party sources told UNI that several party leaders and workers from Thane opposed the NCP's move and even petitioned Party President Sonia Gandhi, expressing their protest over the announcement of the name of Sanjiv Naik, a former mayor of Navi Mumbai and son of State Environment and excise Minister Ganesh Naik, as its candidate.

The sources said Thane had been a stronghold of the Congress in the past and in the last elections, the party had supported the candidate of NCP as a special gesture.

They said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Prabha Rao were likely to meet in Mumbai tomorrow to discuss the issue and brief the High Command about the party's stand.

UNI XR SR-VK ARB RK1820