Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat resigned as the Congress legislature party leader today. Thorat tendered his resignation after a rift ensued between him and the Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole after the Nashik Legislative Council elections. Thorat had earlier written to party's central leadership citing his inability to work with Patole due to the latter's "anger" towards him.
In his letter to the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Thorat, a former state unit chief and minister, expressed his displeasure of not being consulted over important decisions taken by the state president.
However, Patole while speaking to the media in Pune on Monday had denied of any letter being written to Kharge by the senior Congress leader.
"I do not know what letter Thorat saheb has written. I can speak on it if the contents are made available to me. I don't think Thorat has written any such letter," said Patole at the press briefing.
The resignation by Thorat comes days after Nashik graduates constituency MLC Sudhir Tambe, who is the brother-in-law of Thorat, declined to contest the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections and helped his son Satyajit Tambe to fight as an independent candidate. Tambe won the elections of which the results was announced on February 2.
Though, there was no clear support from Tohorat to Satyajit Tambe to fight the election on January 30, several of the former's kin were present, reported news agency PTI.
Left red-faced due to the episode the Congress suspended Sudhir Tambe and Satyajit Tambe from the party for the MLC poll twist.
Later, Satyajit in a press conference alleged that there was a conspiracy to throw him out of the Congress and defame the former state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat.
"All this seems to have been crafted out to put Thorat saheb and the family in trouble," he said.