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With Pawar out, Kalmadi all set to return to Congress

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

With the expulsion of senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar from the party for six years, the path is clear for Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi president and former Congressman Suresh Kalmadi to once again head the Pune City Congress.

"It is one of the possibilities open before me and my party", Kalmadi said in a guarded interview over the telephone from his New Delhi home soon after news of Pawar's expulsion spread thick and fast on Thursday night.

"A high-level executive meeting of my party has been convened on May 24 in New Delhi at which a final decision on our party's future course of action will be taken," the former Union minister said, adding, "I had left the Congress mainly on account of Pawar and Sitaram Kesri."

"Now that Pawar is out of the party for six years, anything is possible," Kalmadi said, giving enough indication that he would rejoin the Congress.

Asked for his reaction to the Congress Working Committee's majority decision to expel Pawar, Kalmadi said, "It was expected and it was poetic justice."

Kalmadi said Pawar had to go as his overweening ambition to become the prime minister cost him everything.

"Pawar's over-ambition to become the prime minister at any cost and to make his nephew Ajit Pawar the chief minister of Maharashtra has reduced him to his present position," Kalmadi said.

He was also quick to point out that the Maratha chieftain's rebellion had backfired, with lukewarm response from his own state, and even his friends Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and P C Chacko not supporting him.

"It is not surprising that very few people have gone with him from the Congress party," Kalmadi added.

The former Congressman had resigned from the party after he clashed with Kesri and Pawar.

Sources said with Sonia Gandhi known to have a soft corner for Kalmadi, the MVA leader is all set to rejoin the Congress where he would be given more importance to counter Pawar.

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