A major crisis has erupted in the Maharashtra Congress as senior leader Balasaheb Thorat has resigned from the post of legislature party leader, arguing that it is impossible to work with state chief Nana Patole.

In a letter to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Thorat expressed his displeasure over the handling of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) election in the state, alleging a conspiracy to sideline his family.

He had written to the high command earlier explaining how his nephew Satyajeet Tambe’s nomination as an Independent candidate from the Nashik Graduates constituency was used to target him and his extended family.

The controversy started when the Congress gave a ticket to Sudhir Tambe to contest the MLC poll but he withdrew at the last minute and his son Satyajit, former state Youth Congress chief, filed papers as an Independent. Sudhir Tambe is married to Thorat’s sister.

As Satyjit won the election, state chief Patole said the father-son duo had betrayed the party. Satyajit blamed Patole for the turn of events, saying he got the form for the Aurangabad Teachers’ constituency and the Nagpur Teachers’ constituency instead of the Nashik Graduates constituency.

“All this was part of a scripted conspiracy to deny me candidature, oust my family from the Congress and create problems for Balasaheb Thorat,” he said.

He and his father were suspended from the party without being given a hearing, Satyajit alleged. While this episode may have brought the crisis in the Maharashtra Congress to the fore, it is an indisputable fact that the majority of senior leaders are not happy with Patole’s leadership.

They believe Rahul Gandhi imposed Patole on them without evolving a consensus and claim that the sentiment of the leaders was conveyed to the high command on several occasions.

One senior leader told The Telegraph over phone from Mumbai: “Unity of purpose was never possible under Patole. We all were waiting for a change. Now the seniormost leader has revolted. After this crisis, we hope the high command brings about a change. We are warning Rahul Gandhi that Patole will prove to be the Navjot Singh Sidhu of Maharashtra.”