Maharashtra Congress faces spokespersons row in state

Maharashtra Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant. File pic/PTI

Maharashtra Congress General Secretary Sachin Sawant has expressed his unwillingness to work as party spokesperson, apparently because of the restructuring of the media communications department.

Sawant has asked party president Sonia Gandhi to relieve him of the responsibility delegated by state unit chief Nana Patole. Sources said Sawant is upset because he has been sidelined for the chief spokesperson's post, which has gone to another general secretary, Atul Londhe-Patil.

When contacted, Sawant refused to comment, while Patole was unavailable. Sawant, an electronics engineer from Mumbai, has been representing the Congress in TV debates and other platforms for a decade. The party has nominated him for the Legislative Council in the governor's quota that has been withheld for want of the Raj Bhavan clearance.

"Sawant has asked Soniaji for some other organisational job, saying the transfer would add to his experience as a party worker," said a party leader. Londhe Patil hails from Nagpur, and has been working as a party spokesperson for five years. He was appointed the general secretary recently. He specialises in economics and foreign affairs, and rose from university politics.

The state general secretary from Mumbai, Zakir Ahmed has debuted in the state media communication's team. A former journalist and associate of late Union minister Gurudas Kamat, he was made general secretary recently. Earlier, he was vice president of the Mumbai Congress.