The Congress party in Maharashtra has faced a significant setback just before the local body elections. Dr. Pragya Satav, wife of the late Congress leader and close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Rajeev Satav, resigned from her position as a Legislative Council Member (MLC) on Thursday and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Although her MLC term was supposed to last until 2030, she cited the development of Hingoli as her reason for this move.
Announcing her decision to join the BJP, Dr. Satav stated, 'I am joining the BJP for the development of Hingoli. I have no grievances with anyone. I have not spoken to any Congress leaders. After meeting my workers following the winter session, I made this decision.' She will officially become a BJP member at the party headquarters.
Attempt to Weaken LoP Claim
The Congress has termed this as a well-orchestrated ploy by the BJP. The party alleges Dr. Satav's resignation is aimed at weakening Congress's claim to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) title in the Legislative Council. Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap commented, 'It's clear that we are the opposition, so the LoP will be from Congress. The BJP is pretending the numbers are low in the house, but there are no such provisions. A healthy democracy requires a Leader of Opposition role.'
In September, after Shiv Sena's UBT Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve's tenure ended in August, Congress claimed the LoP position in the Legislative Council.
Rajeev Satav, a late Congress leader, was a Member of Parliament from Hingoli from 2014 to 2019 and was considered close to the Gandhi family. Following his untimely demise due to COVID-19 in 2021, Congress offered Dr. Pragya Satav an opportunity in politics. In the 2021 by-elections, she was elected unopposed as an MLC and was re-elected in 2024 to continue serving in the Legislative Council until 2030.Hingoli, once a stronghold of the Congress, has seen rapid political changes in recent months. This switch in allegiance is considered a significant blow to Congress in the Marathwada region.
