Several leaders from other parties join Congress at Tilak Bhavan in presence of Sapkal, Sirivella Prasad

Leaders and office-bearers of different parties joined the Congress at Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai today, for the second day in a row. The event was held in the presence of the party's newly appointed in-charge, Dr Sirivella Prasad, and state president Harshwardhan Sapkal.

Adv. Narsingh Jadhav, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) in Beed district, joined the Congress with his workers. Geetanjali Naik, granddaughter of former minister Vamanrao Naik, also joined the party.

Vikas Mukundrao Patil, president of the BJP Shikshak Aghadi and the Uttar Maharashtra Khandesh Vikas Mandal Kalyan, also joined the Congress with hundreds of his workers. In-charge Dr Sirivella and state president Sapkal welcomed all of them.

Those present included CWC member and Rajya Sabha MP Chandrakant Handore, AICC secretary B.M. Sandeep, Rehana Chisti, senior leader Ashok Patil, state vice-president Siddharth Hattiambire, state general secretary Adv. Sandesh Kondvilkar, senior Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe, Dheeraj Deshmukh, Beed district Congress president Rahul Sonawane and Praveenkumar Shep.

Dr Prasad said that in districts including Beed, where the Congress organisation is weak, it is essential to strengthen it. He cited the example of a farmer, who never gives up trying to improve barren land and keeps working it until it becomes fertile. In the same way, Prasad said, workers should work with full energy where the party is weak and build up the organisation's strength.

Prasad also said the Congress must form the government at the Centre to save democracy and the Constitution and to ensure that ordinary people's basic rights and entitlements endure, and that workers must strengthen Rahul Gandhi's hands to make him Prime Minister. He said there are 882 days left for the 2029 Lok Sabha election, so they should work with energy.

State president Harshwardhan Sapkal said that the forefathers of today's generation saw through the RSS-BJP's devious tactics, and so kept them out of power for 70 years. According to Sapkal, the RSS-BJP agenda is to divide society and discriminate, and the younger generation has now seen through this as well.

Sapkal said the Congress has a great history and that only the Congress's thinking can save the country, so its message should be taken to every village. He also said today's inductions will help the party grow stronger in Beed district and Khandesh.