Maha Cong chief mocks NCP over Pandharpur bypoll loss, lack of Vidarbha base

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Sunday mocked the NCP for not being able to win the recent Pandharpur Assembly bypoll and said the latter would shut shopin Vidarbha too as it had no base there.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Sunday mocked the NCP for not being able to win the recent Pandharpur Assembly bypoll and said the latter would ''shut shop''in Vidarbha too as it had no base there. The Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena are allies who formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state in 2019 after the saffron alliance between the Sena and BJP broke. The Congress and NCP had ruled the state between 1999 and 2014.

Speaking at a Congress meeting in Wardha, some 740 kilometres from here, Patole said, ''The top NCP leadership was unable to retain the Pandharpur Assemby seat (in the recent bypolls). How much time will it take to shut shop in Vidarbha.'' He later told reporters he made the comment as the Sharad Pawar-led party had no base in Vidarbha.