Prithviraj Chavan to remain Maharashtra CM, lead party in Assembly polls: Congress

New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will continue in his post and lead Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections, the party`s high command said on Thursday as it put an end to the suspense over the issue of change of leadership in the state.

"Chavan will continue as Maharashtra Chief Minister and the coming Assembly elections will be fought under his leadership," AICC General Secretary Mohan Prakash, the in- charge of party affairs for the state, told PTI. Prakash`s statement puts to rest the speculation over Chavan`s fate in the wake of Congress`s dismal showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The signal from AICC came after Chavan met Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today. Sources said there was a growing feeling within a section of the party that any leadership change at the eleventh hour would prove counter-productive in the poll-bound state. Chavan had yesterday called on Congress President Sonia Gandhi and later said he had had a "very good meeting" with her during which he discussed the party`s readiness for the October Assembly elections in Maharashtra. In the wake of the party`s rout in the general elections, a section of its leaders in Maharashtra had sought Chavan`s removal from the post of chief minister.