Nana Patole

Opposition Congress on Saturday alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra was "not legitimately elected" and claimed there was a suspicious addition of a large number of voters and manipulation of votes during the November 2024 assembly polls. Congress' data analytics department chairperson Praveen Chakravarty and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan made the allegations in a press conference. "The government in Maharashtra is not legitimately elected through a fair electoral process. We say this with full responsibility as India's oldest political party and as the only political party that fought for India's freedom and helped establish India as a constitutional republic," Chakaravarty said. There has been significant manipulation of the voter results in the recently-held state assembly elections in Maharashtra, he said. "Forty-eight lakh new voters were added in the electoral rolls in the assembly elections after the Lok Sabha polls, while only 3

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Friday said the Devendra Fadnavis government must release a White Paper on the investments received and jobs generated from MoUs signed during previous visits to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Addressing a press conference, Patole said Fadnavis has informed that 61 MoUs were signed entailing investments of Rs 15.70 lakh crore and having the potential to create 15.95 lakh jobs. "While significant investments in Maharashtra are welcome, the public has the right to know the specifics of these agreements and the reality behind them. Similar grand announcements have been made in the past as well. The Mahayuti government must release a White Paper on investments and job creation from previous deals at Davos," Patole said. Of the 61 companies that have signed agreements with the Maharashtra government in Davos this time, 51 are based in India, of which 43 are from Mumbai and Pune, he said, adding only 10 are foreign-based. These include a Rs .

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday said that he has expressed his willingness to resign from the post, and now the party high command will decide on it. Talking to reporters on Vidhan Bhavan premises, Patole said the Congress's group leader in the state legislature will be chosen today. Following the party's worst-ever defeat in the assembly elections in Maharashtra, party sources had earlier claimed that the senior Congress leader had requested the central leadership to relieve him of the responsibility of the organisational post. Patole, however, had clarified last week that he had not tendered resignation and rumours were being spread. Patole said the Congress's Maharashtra in-charge will arrive in the city on Tuesday evening, and the party's group leader in the state legislature will be elected. He said discussions about the state chief's post would also take place. Queried whether he has tendered his resignation from the state chief's post, Patole said, "I have

It was reported that Maharashtra Congress president, Nana Patole had written to party leader Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking to be relieved of his position

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday sought to compare India's democracy with that of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and claimed that it was in danger and being discussed at the global level. Speaking with the media in Nagpur, Patole questioned the Maharashtra assembly poll results and said a mass movement is shaping up at Solapur district's Markadwadi village, where residents had raised doubts about EVMs and wanted to conduct a repoll using ballot papers. He said people in many cities and villages have also cast aspersions on the victory of the Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, and its subsequent government formation. Patole accused the government of suppressing the voice of the people of Markadwadi, referring to a police case against several villagers over their plan to conduct a re-election using ballot papers. Gram sabha are passing resolutions demanding elections on ballot papers, claimed the Congress leader, who retained his Sakoli seat by a marg

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday claimed that the results of the assembly elections reflect lack of transparency, and said the government and the Election Commission need to clear people's doubts they have raised over the poll process. He termed the verdict of the Maharashtra polls a "murder of democracy". In a post on X, the Congress leader said he spoke to social activist Baba Adhav, who has been protesting in Pune against the alleged misuse of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the recently-held Maharashtra elections. Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his three-day protest at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in the city on Thursday. "There is a lack of transparency in the Maharashtra assembly election results. Our stand is that this verdict is a murder of democracy. When people are questioning the fairness of poll process, it is the responsibility of the Election Commission and the government to clear their doubts," Patole said on

Several candidates emerged victorious in the Maharashtra assembly polls by wafer thin margins, including an AIMIM nominee in Malegaon Central by 162 votes and state Congress chief Nana Patole by 208 votes from Sakoli. All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) sitting MLA Mufti Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique defeated Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra by 162 votes in Malegaon Central seat in Nashik district. Patole defeated BJP's Avinash Brahmankar by 208 votes in Sakoli in Bhandara district, as per the results announced by the Election Commission on Saturday. BJP's Manda Mhatre won from Belapur in Navi Mumbai by a margin of 377 votes, while Shiv Sena's Sanjay Gaikwad won from Buldhana by 841 votes. In Karjat-Jamkhed, sitting NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar retained his seat by 1,243 votes, while state minister and NCP candidate Dilip Walse Patil won from Ambegaon constituency with a margin of 1,523 votes. Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena ...

Maharashtra Assembly elections: Here's a look at the key candidates from both Mahayuti and MVA vying for the position of Maharashtra's next chief minister

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Nana Patole on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using "divisive language" during his campaign speeches for the Maharashtra polls. The PM, who addressed rallies in Dhule and Nashik on Friday and in Akola and Nanded during the day, accused the Congress of working against the unity of Dalits, tribals and backward classes in a bid to regain power and asked people to follow the mantra of "ek hai to safe hai" (safety in unity). Hitting back, Patole said Maharashtra is a state that celebrates the legacy of social reformers like Mahatma Phule and legendary warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. "Slogans like 'ek hai to safe hai' fosters divisions among people rather than addressing their issues. Maharashtra will not tolerate such divisive language. The PM should offer solutions to farmers in distress instead," Patole said. He was addressing a rally in support of Congress' Jalna candidate Kailash Gorantyal. Speaking in Akola, the PM said the .

The Assembly functioned without a Speaker for over a year, following Nana Patole's resignation in February 2021

Speaking to the media, Patole said "If Sanjay Raut is controlling Uddhav Thackeray, that is their issue. We have the responsibility of telling the reality of our leaders and we are doing that"

Patole also said that Sanjay Raut was the leader of Uddhav Thackeray and Patole's leaders were Malikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the leader of NCP (SCP) was Sharad Pawar

Maharashtra Assembly elections: Out of 288, 234 seats in Maharashtra are general category, 25 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 29 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs)

He also said the Maha Vikas Aghadi is not opposing the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana as CM Shinde repeatedly claims; 'We will make it better when we come to power,' Patole said

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday claimed many BJP MLAs will join his party before the state assembly elections. Patole was talking to reporters after the induction of former BJP MP Shishupal Patle into the party. The Congress leader alleged there is a lot of resentment among the allies of the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party headed by Ajit Pawar. "Many leaders of the BJP and its allies will join the Congress in the coming days," Patole said. Patle, a former MP from Bhandara, said the BJP has changed and become a party of contractors and traders. The party does not have a connect with farmers and the working classes, he said. "The BJP has used central probe agencies to break opposition parties. I joined the Congress to work for people," Patle said. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had contested 21 seats, followed by .

Patole pointed out that this year, farmers in the state have faced drought in some areas and excessive rains in others

A day after the Congress accused Uddhav Thackeray of unilaterally announcing his party's candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council polls, the two parties finalised the deal on Wednesday with the Shiv Sena (UBT) deciding to contest three out of four seats, while the grand old party will fight one. The biennial elections to four legislative council seats- Mumbai Graduates' constituency, Konkan Graduates' constituency, Mumbai Teachers' constituency and Nashik Teachers' constituency - became necessary as the terms of sitting members are expiring in July. Voting will be held on June 26 and results will be declared on July 1. Today was the last date of withdrawal of applications. As per the seat-sharing deal finalised by the two Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents, the Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest Mumbai Graduates' constituency, Mumbai Teachers' constituency and Nashik Teachers' constituency, while the Congress will fight the Konkan Graduates' constituency. Maharashtra

Eight Union ministers, two former chief ministers and one ex-governor are among those who are set to test their electoral fate in the first phase of elections on April 19 when 102 seats across 21 states and Union territories will go to polls. Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is seeking a hat-trick of win from the Nagpur seat. In 2014, he had defeated seven-time MP Vilas Muttemwar by a margin of 2.84 lakh votes and retained the seat in 2019 by defeating current Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole by 2.16 lakh votes. Union minister Kiren Rijiju is contesting from the Arunachal West seat. The 52-year-old has represented the constituency thrice since 2004. Rijiju's main rival is former chief minister and present president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Nabam Tuki. Sarbanada Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is seeking a return to Lok Sabha from Dibrugarh in Assam. Sonowal, a Rajya Sabha member, was fielded from Dibrugarh after Union Minister of .

Shiv Sena Uddhav (UBT) faction will be contesting polls on 21 seats, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party will contest elections on 10 seats while Congress will fight the polls on 17 seats

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Thursday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi's seat-sharing formula and its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls will be announced in a day or two. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprises the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest in the country after 80 in Uttar Pradesh. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the MVA leaders at NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar's residence here, Patole said the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) in Delhi has finalised 12 candidates. "We are discussing with our allies and will announce the list in a day or two," he said. Patole and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat, who were in Delhi for their party's CEC meeting, had returned to Mumbai for the meeting. NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil and party leader Jitendra Awhad also attended the meeting at Pawar's ...