Congress will stand with Maha CM for 5 years, MVA won't face problems from party: Patole

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 20 (ANI): Days after indicating that the Congress will contest the next Maharashtra Assembly polls alone and not as partners of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, the party's state unit chief Nana Patole on Sunday assured that his party supports Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with all its might till the government completes its full five-year term.
He also said that there will not be any problem from Congress to the MVA government.
Talking to reporters in Pune on the sidelines of an event, Patole said, when the three parties came together to form the MVA, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had stated that the party was joining the alliance to stop the BJP from occupying power.
"Our leader Sonia Gandhi's stand to be a part of the MVA was to prevent the BJP from coming to power. However, it had no mention that we are permanent in alliance (to fight elections)," he said.
"The Congress is standing strong with Uddhav Thackeray with all its might for all five years. There won't be any problem (to the alliance) from the Congress. Our leader Soniaji has already given that assurance and as a state president, I am also of the same opinion," he said.
His remarks come a day after CM Thackeray, said that people would "beat with chappals" those who only talk about contesting polls alone without offering solutions to people's problems. Earlier in the day, Patole had said that the three-party MVA alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, was formed in Maharashtra for five years and it is not a permanent fixture.
During a function held on the foundation day of Shiv Sena on Saturday, Thackeray had without naming anyone attacked his allies. "A few people are talking about going solo and fighting elections on their own. People would hit them with chappals if they do so," the chief minister had said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on June 14 indicated that the party will contest the next Assembly polls alone and not as partners of Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance.
"Congress will contest the Maharashtra Assembly Elections alone. I am ready to be the CM face if the high command decides," Patole had said. Staunch adversaries for long, the Shiv Sena and the Congress had banded together with the NCP to form the MVA government in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP in 2019. (ANI)