Supporters of Congress MLA Sangram Thopte on Tuesday vandalised the party office in Pune after he was not given a ministerial berth in newly-expanded Maharashtra Cabinet, News18 reported. Nineteen people were arrested in connection with the violence.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led government expanded the Cabinet on Monday, more than a month after he assumed office. Governor BS Koshyari had administered the oath of office to 25 Cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state at Vidhan Bhavan.
The MLA from Bhor in Pune district is the son of former minister Anantrao Thopte. His supporters entered the Congress Bhavan premises in Shivaji Nagar and shouted slogans against the party leadership for leaving Thopte out of the state Cabinet.
They pelted the building with stones and broke furniture. The supporters also attacked the chamber of city party chief Ramesh Bagwe, the office staff who witnessed the vandalism said.
Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat expressed concern over the incident, and said the party leaders would speak to them and address their grievances.
Thopte was the only Congress leader to win a seat from Pune district in the 2014 Assembly elections. He retained the seat in the 2019 elections with a bigger margin.
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