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Rajendra Mulak, a Congress leader suspended for anti-party activities, on Monday asserted his candidacy as an independent contender from the Ramtek assembly constituency in Maharashtra, declaring himself the de facto candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
"The election here is being contested by the whole Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT)," Mulak said. "I am the candidate of Maha Vikas Aghadi. The whole Congress is with me, I will win this election with a huge majority," he added. Mulak underlined the backing he claims to have from the Congress Party and its allies in the MVA. "This election hasn't happened yet, but the entire Congress party is fighting it together, along with the NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena," he said. The suspended leader added, "I am the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate. Congress leaders were there with me on stage, as you can see. Congress stands with me. This election is indeed an unprecedented one, and I am confident that the Congress candidate will win with a large margin." His statements come as the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) intensifies disciplinary action against party rebels in the run-up to the assembly elections scheduled for November 20. On Sunday night, the MPCC suspended seven additional Congress members for contesting against official MVA candidates, bringing the total number of suspensions to 28 across 22 constituencies. Newly suspended members include Shamkant Saner, Rajendra Thakur, Aba Bagul, Manish Anand, Suresh Kumar Jethliya, Kalyan Borade, and Chandrapaul Chauksey. Earlier suspensions included Anandrao Gedam, Sonal Kove, Manoj Shinde, and others. MPCC leader Ramesh Chennithala emphasized that all Congress rebels standing against MVA candidates would face a six-year suspension. The MVA coalition, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP, aims to regain control of Maharashtra, facing the ruling Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The election outcome will be declared on November 23. In the last two elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra, winning 105 seats in 2019 and 122 seats in 2014. (ANI)
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