MUMBAI: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday claimed many Bharatiya Janta Party leaders helped the MVA in Vidarbha to secure victory in the Legislative Council polls and that the saffron party's "house will crumble".
In a setback to the ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi won three --- Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati --- of the five seats which were up for grabs in biennial elections from teachers and graduates segments. The BJP and independent candidate (and Congress rebel) Satyajit Tambe won from the Konkan and Nashik graduates constituencies respectively.
Talking to reporters, Patole said he still maintains that the Tambe father-son betrayed the party.
While Sudhir Tambe, the party's official candidate, had opted out on the last day of filing nomination, his son Satyajit filed his papers as an independent. The then Congress suspended both.
Patole also said the polls have shown the BJP who the king is.
He also credited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra foot march, which passed through Vidarbha, for creating enthusiasm among people for the party.
After MVA-backed candidate Sudhakar Adbale trumped BJP-supported Nagorao Ganar, Patole had on Thursday claimed that the victory in the bastion of BJP's parent organisation is a jolt to the saffron party, in a reference to the Nagpur-headquartered Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Both Amravati and Nagpur are in the Vidarbha region.
"Vidarbha has remained with the Congress. We were hit by wrong coordination and planning. This time everyone worked together and fought this war," he said.
"Be it Amravati or Nagpur division, because of the trouble from BJP leaders (an apparent reference to Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis), many BJP leaders have helped us. You see how their house will crumble," Patole said.
Patole was referring to Tambe's rebellion for which he claimed the BJP was responsible.
He said the BJP's attempt to break the Congress' house has "hurt" the party very badly.
The BJP had backed Tambe at the last minute in the MLC polls.
"You have taken our one legislator. We have planned a strategy to win 50 legislators from the Nashik division," he said.