Inside Story Of Ashok Chavan's Exit From Congress As Suspense Remains Over Next Move

Ashok Chavan has held significant ministerial positions in Maharashtra's Congress (coalition) governments and also served as Chief Minister for two years.

It is rumoured that Ashok Chavan will most likely join the ruling BJP.  ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and prominent Congress leader Ashok Chavan shocked everyone on Monday after he resigned from the Congress. It is rumoured that he will most likely join the ruling BJP. Chavan, however, said that he has not taken any decision yet on joining the saffron party and will decide on his next political move in a couple of days.

Chavan has held significant ministerial positions in Maharashtra's Congress (coalition) governments and also served as Chief Minister for two years. Ashok Chavan's father, Shankar Rao Chavan, also served as Chief Minister of Maharashtra twice. It's a rare case of a father and son duo returning to power in Maharashtra.

The indications of Ashok Chavan resigning from the Congress and aligning with the BJP had been apparent for almost a year.

Reasons For Ashok Chavan's Displeasure From Congress

• Ashok Chavan wanted to be the President of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress, but the presidency was given to Nana Patole. In recent months, tensions between Nana Patole and Chavan increased significantly.
  
  
• After Uddhav Thackeray's resignation and the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Chavan wanted a better role for himself.
  
  
• Initially, Chavan was interested in joining the Shiv Sena, and later the NCP. However, after the split between Shiv Sena and NCP, he did not see a future for himself in the MVA.
  
  
• Chavan was not happy with the allocation of Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. He was displeased with Shiv Sena contesting more seats out of the state's 48 constituencies while the Congress, a national party, would contest fewer seats. 

The discussion about Chavan joining the BJP is attributed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Several meetings have taken place between Chavan and Fadnavis in the past year.

The BJP's central leadership has already given the green light to include Chavan in the BJP. Several senior BJP leaders have publicly stated that Chavan is at the doorstep of the BJP.

Why Ashok Chavan?

In the Maharashtra elections of 2019, despite the Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray joining hands with the BJP-led alliance and securing a majority, Uddhav Thackeray chose to instead form a coalition government with the NCP and the Congress.

Two years later, Devendra Fadnavis initiated "Operation Lotus".

In the beginning, Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde rebelled, followed by Ajit Pawar's NCP, leaving Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar vulnerable due to internal dissent within their respective parties. Now, with the Lok Sabha elections approaching, there is dissent within the Congress as well.

Ashok Chavan will most likely bring several close MLAs, district presidents, district vice-presidents, and former MLAs into the BJP fold. A prominent Maratha face is also likely to join the BJP, strengthening the party in Vidarbha.

BJP Survey Ahead Of Lok Sabha Election 2024

Before the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP conducted a review of Maharashtra's 48 seats and found that the Vidarbha region's 6 seats pose a challenge for the BJP, including seats like Nanded, Solapur, and Latur. 

If the BJP incorporates leaders from the Ashok Chavan and Congress cadre, these seats could be won.

Ashok Chavan's Supporting Legislators May Not Join BJP Immediately

Sources indicate that 12-14 legislators allied with Ashok Chavan may leave the Congress and join the BJP, but this could happen after the Rajya Sabha elections.

The reason is that there will be elections for six Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Based on the number game, BJP can win three seats, Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde can win one, and NCP's Ajit Pawar can win one Rajya Sabha seat.

However, if BJP decides to contest for the sixth seat as well, then cross-voting might occur, and in such a scenario, supporters of Ashok Chavan from the Congress may cross-vote and help BJP secure the Rajya Sabha seat. Therefore, Chavan's supporters in the legislature may not join the BJP immediately.

The Congress, as part of the MVA coalition, may field former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan as a joint candidate for the Rajya Sabha. However, he has denied any such eventuality so far.