Had announced to join BJP, former MLA changed his decision after receiving Rahul Gandhi’s call.
Mumbai: A major political blow to Congress in Buldhana district of Maharashtra has been averted for the time being. Former Congress MLA from Chikhali assembly constituency Rahul Bondre has withdrawn his decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to media reports, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke to Bondre over phone, after which he decided to remain in Congress. Bondre had earlier publicly announced his decision to join BJP.
Rahul Bondre is counted among the old leaders of Congress in Buldhana district. He has been an MLA from Chikhali Assembly constituency and has also held the responsibility of District President of Congress. There was talk of his joining BJP for some time. Eventually he made his decision to join BJP public by releasing a video on social media. He also mentioned his long political journey in Congress and the support he received from party leaders.
After this announcement by Bondre, the stir in Maharashtra Congress intensified. Buldhana is especially important because it is also the home district of Maharashtra Congress State President Harsh Vardhan Sapkal. In such a situation, the joining of a former MLA from the district and an old Congress leader to BJP was being considered a politically important development for the party.
According to media reports, Bondre’s entry into BJP was likely to happen on September 22. There was talk of his joining BJP in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Chikhli’s BJP MLA Shweta Mahale had also confirmed his possible party entry. But even before he formally joined BJP, events suddenly took a new turn.
It is being told that after the information about Bondre joining BJP reached the senior leadership of Congress, efforts started to stop him. In this sequence, Rahul Gandhi spoke to him directly on the phone. According to reports, in the conversation, Rahul Gandhi mentioned the work done by Bondre for the party and asked him to reconsider his decision.
After this conversation, Rahul Bondre withdrew his decision to join BJP. According to media reports, Bondre told Rahul Gandhi that after calling him directly and listening to him, he would remain in Congress. He also talked about continuing to work for the party. In this way, Bondre, who was preparing to join BJP till a few hours ago, changed his political decision.
A video of the alleged conversation between Rahul Gandhi and Bondre has also surfaced on social media. Some media organizations have given information about the conversation on the basis of this video. However, the video circulated on social media has not been independently verified. NDTV Marathi, quoting sources, has also reported about Rahul Gandhi’s call and subsequently Bondre’s decision not to leave Congress.
The entire incident has brought the local politics of Buldhana and especially Chikhli into limelight. After the announcement of Bondre joining BJP, discussion of change in local political equations had started. The challenge for Congress was that a former MLA in the home district of its state president was going to leave the party. Now due to the change in their decision, this situation has been averted for the time being.
While announcing his move to BJP, Rahul Bondre had also mentioned his old colleagues and leaders in Congress. He had said that Congress gave him many opportunities in political life. He had also mentioned the support he received from senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik and state president Harshvardhan Sapkal. Despite this, he had announced to choose a different political path.
But changing his decision after talking to Rahul Gandhi has become a topic of discussion in Maharashtra politics. The local units of both Congress and BJP in Chikhali and Buldhana will now keep an eye on the further political activities of Bondre. This matter has come into the limelight in the state politics due to his public announcement of joining BJP and then withdrawing it within a short time.
It is clear from the media reports available at present that Rahul Bondre had announced his decision to join BJP and later after talking to Rahul Gandhi, decided to remain in Congress. Independent verification of the video of conversation between Rahul Gandhi and Bondre is a different matter, hence everything seen or heard in it should not be seen as verified fact.
This incident in Buldhana has also shown that both the major parties are keeping an eye on the political movement of local leaders in Maharashtra. After the change in Bondre’s decision, local political circles will now keep an eye on his future role in Congress and how the political equations change in Chikhli area.