Ex-Pune Congress Chief Arvind Shinde Urges Kharge to Order High-Level Probe Into Pune MLC Election Decisions
Pune, 10th June 2026: Former Pune City Congress president Arvind Shinde has written to Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, demanding a high-level inquiry into the circumstances that led to the party being kept out of the recently concluded Pune Local Authorities Legislative Council (MLC) election and seeking action against those responsible.
In a letter dated June 9, Shinde alleged that the Congress, despite having sufficient organisational strength and the capability to challenge the BJP in Pune, was deliberately sidelined from the electoral contest. He termed the development a “planned conspiracy” that damaged the political interests of the party and hurt the sentiments of Congress workers in the city.
Shinde claimed that the sequence of events surrounding the withdrawal of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Shrikant Patil after filing his nomination had raised serious questions among Congress workers. According to him, a perception had emerged that Congress support was sought in the name of an alliance, but the party was ultimately excluded from the election, altering the political equation in a manner that indirectly benefited the BJP.
The former city Congress chief also questioned the role of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee leadership, alleging that local Congress office-bearers, elected representatives and party workers in Pune were kept in the dark about key decisions. He said even Pune Congress in-charge and MLA Satej Patil was not consulted during the process.
Drawing parallels with previous electoral alliances, Shinde said Congress had suffered political setbacks in the past after being sidelined by alliance partners. He claimed that despite adverse circumstances in Pimpri Chinchwad and Pune district, the Pune City Congress had demonstrated its strength by winning 15 seats independently in the Pune Municipal Corporation elections.
In his letter, Shinde urged Kharge to order an independent inquiry by the All India Congress Committee into the entire sequence of events surrounding the Pune Legislative Council election and fix accountability on all office-bearers involved in the decision-making process. He also sought submission of an inquiry report to the party leadership and demanded strict action against those found responsible.
Referring to recent disciplinary action taken by the Congress against party members in Amravati and Chandrapur, Shinde said a similar approach should be adopted if any deliberate attempts to harm the image and interests of the Pune Congress unit are established through the inquiry.
He concluded by requesting the party high command to thoroughly investigate the election process and ensure accountability for what he described as a deliberate act that damaged the Congress organisation in Pune.
