Mumbai, Jul 17 (IANS): The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is preparing to initiate stern disciplinary action against seven Maharashtra MLAs suspected of cross-voting in the recent biennial elections for 11 seats to the state Legislative Council in the state, official sources said here.

“Upto seven MLAs have been identified and the state Congress has submitted its report to the General Secretary K. C. Venugopal for the necessary further action. The decision of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in consultation with other senior leaders is expected shortly,” a senior party functionary told IANS.

Similar indications were given by Venugopal after the MLC elections in which the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-supported Peasants and Workers Party candidate Jayant P. Patil was trounced, embarrassing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.

Later, an irate state Congress President Nana Patole said that the seven suspect MLAs were identified and the party would initiate stringent disciplinary action against them for letting down the MVA nominee Jayant P. Patil.

NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar referred to the incident this afternoon in Pune at a media interaction and while not pointing fingers at anybody, admitted that the PWP leader’s defeat was indeed “a political miscalculation and a wrong strategy.”

Congress circles have been agog with speculation on the seven purported legislators who allegedly defied the party whip to indulge in cross-voting in the MLC elections on July 12, when 12 candidates were vying for 11 seats, in what was considered a mini-battle ahead of the October Assembly elections.

The cross-voting is said to have helped the ruling MahaYuti ally and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s second candidate sail through at the expense of the PWP contender Jayant P. Patil, though the MVA parties had sufficient votes in their quota.