The official Congress in the state is in deep mourning. It won only in Sangli and even here its victory is attributed to the personal pull of Vasantrao Patil, the former chief minister, who hails from this district. In Jalgaon, home district of Madhukarrao Chaudhari, former minister, the party fared well. But in the rest of the districts its performance has been miserable, especially considering its hold over the co-operatives and its standing in the old zilla parishads. The party is now in disarray and many of its leaders are eager to join hands with Sharad Pawar, Indeed, some leaders of Pawar's faction expect a big exodus to their party from the official Congress.
