According to sources, local units in
Chandrapur-Wardha-Gadchiroli and Amravati local bodies had apprised the state leadership that NCP was not cooperating with the Congress candidates in the biennial Legislative Council elections.
"The leaders were told that the NCP was in league with the BJP in these two seats. They had told the leaders that if NCP was not helping Congress in the two seats, why did we support them in Raigad, Nashik and Parbhani local bodies seats," sources said.
The party high command has taken serious cognizance of the poll debacle and sought a report from the state Congress leadership, sources added.
They said yesterday's defeat was the third setback inflicted on the party by the NCP.
"Earlier this year, NCP usurped the number one position in the local bodies elections and later betrayed the Congress for the zilla parishad president and vice president's election at five places in Vidarbha and one in Ahmednagar," sources added.
When Congress had worked for the victory of NCP candidates in Nashik, Parbhani and Raigad, the latter did not do the same in Chandrapur and Amravati, they said.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is in Delhi for the Planning Commission meeting, met senior Central leaders to discuss the matter, sources informed.
State BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar denied that his party and NCP had any secret understanding. "Congress lost because of poor candidate selection and their own workers were unhappy with those contesting. So they voted for us," he added.
