Athavale blames local Congress leaders for loss in Shirdi

Crying foul over his defeat from Shirdi, RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athavale today accused local leaders of Congress and NCP of planning his loss from the newly reserved constituency. Athavale demanded that he be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha and given a ministerial berth in the new government.
    
"The Shirdi seat is a pocketborough of Congress. It has returned a Congress nominee several times," a visibly disturbed Athavale told reporters here. RPI(A) fought the elections in tie up with the NCP-Congress alliance. Athavale claimed NCP leaders did not campaign for him wholeheartedly.
    
Contending that his defeat was an "insult" to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC President Sonia Gandhi, he asked Congress high command to take action against the local leaders who "betrayed" him. Athavale lost the Shirdi seat by a margin of over 1,32000 votes to Bhausaheb Wakchure of Shiv Sena.
    
He said he had met Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, MPCC president Manikrao Thakre and senior Congress leader A K Antony and complained to them about the "betrayal". Athavale had won the 1998 Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai
Northeast. He represented Pandharpur Parliamentary constituency in 1999 and 2004. The RPI leader had to shift to Shirdi as Pandharpur was declared a general seat after the delimitation exercise.