Mumbai, Oct 03: Stung by party's debacle in Solapur parliamentary by-poll in Maharashtra, Congress high command has summoned MPCC chief Ranjit Deshmukh to Delhi today. "Deshmukh is slated to meet AICC president Sonia Gandhi and apprise her of the developments that led to the party nominee's defeat in the by-election," MPCC sources said here. Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who vacated Solapur Lok Sabha seat to head the ruling DF coalition in the state, necessitating the by-poll, had a detailed discussion with Gandhi and senior Congress leaders in the national capital in the last two days.
Meanwhile, NCP president Sharad Pawar, whose party is being reportedly blamed for not canvassing for the Congress candidate, at a public rally in Washim in Vidarbha last evening, blamed the bickerings within Congress for the result. BJP's Pratapsinh Mohite-Patil, younger brother of NCP strongman and state PWD Minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, trounced his Congress rival Anand Deokate with a margin of over 1.22 lakh votes in the Congress' traditional citadel. Bureau Report