Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday offered to resign over the Adarsh Cooperative Group Housing Society controversy in which his role has been called into question. But the Congress high command has decided, as a matter of strategy, to wait for “some time”.

Talk of a change of guard in Maharashtra is gaining ground in Congress circles. Though chief minister Ashok Chavan on Friday ruled out his resignation over the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society controversy, the Congress high command “summoned” him to be in New Delhi on Saturday and clarify his position.

The Congress on Tuesday virtually projected its “leaders” in the election-going states by appointing Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs.
While former chief minister Amarinder Singh will rejuvenate the party in Punjab, the renomination of PCC presidents in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry is a clear message that they would play a role after the polls.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been staying away from the campaigning in the Bihar Assembly poll, where the fight is between secular and ultra-secular parties.

The Congress is planning to hold the party plenary in Rajasthan in the third week of December. This was indicated by the party here on Saturday night. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has already requested the high command to hold the plenary in Jaipur. Earlier, the Congress plenary was held there in 1966.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stopped sports minister M.S. Gill from going on an official trip to Scotland immediately after the Commonwealth Games, well-placed sources said. They indicated this would not have gone down well with people given that a high-level inquiry had been ordered on alleged corruption and irregularities in Games preparations.

October 23 (coming Saturday) could be the date for a Cabinet reshuffle. This is the talk in the Congress circles. But if it does not take place then the aspirants would have to wait till January 14 when uttarayan begins.

The Congress has yet to come out with a election manifesto for the Bihar Assembly at a time when the campaigning for the first phase of polls set to end on Tuesday. But the party is confident of its victory, declaring that the BJP and the LJP would be the losers in the electoral battle.

If the PCC presidents are “elected” without a contest, then how can the CWC be constituted through secret ballot? This is the question being asked in the Congress.

A guessing game has begun in the Congress whether the impending nominations of PCC presidents would see a generational change or merely influence by a political adjustment. But the insiders feel that a Muslim, a dalit and a woman PCC chief in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab could help the party in the coming electoral battles.