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Time of India

Cong revokes Mulak's suspension amid rejig before local body polls

1 2 Nagpur: The Congress formally revoked suspension of senior Vidarbha leader and former Maharashtra minister Rajendra Mulak on Monday, less than a year after disciplinary action was initiated against him for contesting the 2024 assembly elections as an independent. Party insiders said the move reflects a broader strategy to consolidate support ahead of impending local body polls. Mulak's return also signals a subtle recalibration of internal equations within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, following pressure from local party units and MVA allies. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala were present when Mulak's reinstatement was announced in Delhi. MPCC president Harshwardhan Sapkal officially welcomed Mulak back, stating, "We formally revoke the suspension of Mulak and welcome him back into the Congress family." Along with Mulak, Yajnavalkya Jichkar — son of former minister Shrikant Jichkar — was expelled last year for contesting independently from Katol, a seat allocated to NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Anil Deshmukh's son Salil under the MVA seat-sharing pact. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo His suspension was revoked in April. Even the NCP(Ajit) faction on Tuesday revoked suspension of former corporator Abha Pande, who had contested as a rebel from East Nagpur after being denied party ticket. Mulak, son of late minister Bhausaheb Mulak, was among 28 rebel leaders suspended in November 2024 for defying alliance consensus and filing his nomination from Ramtek against the official MVA candidate, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Vishal Barbate. Despite the action, Mulak actively campaigned for Congress nominees in Saoner, Kamptee, and Umred alongside former minister Sunil Kedar. Speaking to TOI from Delhi, Mulak said, "Even though I was a rebel, I worked for the party's victory during the assembly polls. In Umred, which was entrusted to me before expulsion, I ensured a thumping win for our candidate Sanjay Meshram. I even showed Kharge the ECI result sheet—despite being independent, I polled 85,000 votes, while the official MVA nominee managed just 5,000. He was surprised." He added that senior leader Rahul Gandhi, in a meeting with state leaders on Monday evening, directed the revocation of all similar suspensions to strengthen the party ahead of the elections. Also present at the reinstatement were AICC secretaries BM Sandeep and Kunal Choudhary. Mulak is expected to resume his organisational responsibilities in the coming days. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!