Nana Patole Resigns as Maharashtra Congress Chief After MVA Defeat

Nana Patole has resigned as the president of Maharashtra’s Congress party, marking the first significant casualty following the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) coalition’s crushing defeat in the state assembly elections. The Congress, which contested 103 constituencies, secured only 16 seats— a significant drop from the 44 seats it won in the previous assembly elections. Patole, who had been the state Congress president since 2021, won his own seat from Sakoli by a slim margin of just 208 votes.

Patole’s leadership had previously led the party to a remarkable performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Congress won 13 out of 17 seats it contested, fueling expectations for a strong showing in the state assembly polls. Based on this performance, Patole reportedly sought a higher share of assembly seats for Congress within the MVA. However, this request led to tensions within the alliance, particularly with Shiv Sena (UBT), which at one point refused to continue seat-sharing talks if Patole was involved.

Just days before the vote count, Patole had made headlines by stating that MVA would form the next government under Congress’ leadership. This comment was met with strong disapproval from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, further exacerbating the rift within the alliance.

Patole’s tenure ended with a historic low for Congress in the state, and his resignation comes as part of the fallout from the party’s worst-ever performance in the Maharashtra assembly elections.