In a clear indication that the Congress high command has postponed its decision on change of guards in Maharashtra until the end of Karnataka Assembly polls, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has been asked to campaign in Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar areas of Karnataka. These places have a sizeable Marathi-speaking population and will go to polls on May 22.

Ahead of the reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers last month, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had appointed an informal three-member committee comprising Pranab Mukherjee, Ahmad Patel and A K Antony to make an assessment of the performance of Deshmukh Government and the party’s position in Maharashtra. While the committee members held discussions with some senior state leaders in New Delhi, they are yet to visit the state to hold talks with other party leaders.

According to party sources, while a change of guard in the state is still on the cards, there would be some organisational reshuffle that will lead to changes in the state unit of the party. Maharashtra PCC chief Prabha Rau, who has been sparring with the Chief Minister, is also likely to be replaced, say sources.

Apart from a section of top party leaders at the Centre, Deshmukh is said to have the backing of alliance partner NCP as well.

Another section in the Congress, however, accuse Deshmukh of alienating Muslims by delaying the implementation of Srikrishna Commission report on 1992-93 Mumbai riots, the Dalits by administrative apathy following Khairlanji incident, and the farmers by his public addresses in Vidarbha reportedly saying that they added water and stone in their cotton consignment to increase its weight.

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