Less than a week after the BJP expelled 40 party rebel candidates, the Congress, has shown the door to as many as party's 28 rebel candidates in poll-bound Maharashtra for a period of six years.

Acting on the directions of AICC general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, State Congress president Nana Patole issued two separate orders, suspending 28 rebels in 22 constituencies across the state.

The seven candidates suspended in the first list were: Shyamkant Saner (Sindhkheda), Rajendra Thakur (Shrivardhan), Aba Bagul (Aba Bagul), Manish Anand (Shivajinagar), Sureshkumar Jethaliya and Kalyan Borade  (both from Partur) and Chandrapal Choukse (Ramtek).

Of the 21 more rebel candidates suspended through the party's second order were six pairs Anandrao Gedam and Shilu Chimurkar (both from Armori), Sonal Kove and Bharat Yerme (both from Gadchiroli), Abhilasha Gavture and Raju Jhode (both from Ballarpur), Vilas R. Patil and Asma J. Chikhalekar ( from both Bhiwandi), Manoj Shinde and Suresh Patil-Khede (both from Kopri-Pachpakhdi).

The other rebel candidates against whom disciplinary action was initiated were Premsagar Ganveer (Bhandara), Ajay Lanjewar (Arjuni-Morgaon), Hanskumar Pandey (Mira-Bhayander), Kamal Vyawahare (Kasbapeth), Mohanrao Dandekar (Palus-Kadegaon), Mangal V. Bhujbal (Ahmednagar City), Vijay Khadse (Umarkhed), Shabbir Khan (Yavatmal), Avinash Lad (Rajapur), Yagnavalkya Jichkar (Katol) and Rajendra Mulak (Ramtek).

The suspension of rebel candidates came a day after Ramesh Chennitala sent a warning the rebel candidates that his party would not tolerate their indiscipline, that the party would not allow 'friendly contests' and that the party would do everything to protect the prospects of the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidates are in the candidates in the fray.

Earlier on November 5, the BJP had cracked the whip and expelled as many 40 rebel candidates in 36 constituenc-

ies across the state.

The expelled rebels included two rebels from Dhule --Rural (Shrikant Karle and Sophan Patil), two from Jalgaon city (Mayur Kapse and Ashwin Sonawane), two from Nanded-North (Vaishali Milind Deshmukh and Milind Uttarmrao Deshmukh), Nanded south (Dilip Venkatrao Kadkrute,  Sunil Sahebrao More and Sanjay Dhongare), Baglan-ST (Aakash Salunke and Jayashree Garund).

Notwithstanding the disciplinary action taken by both the ruling BJP and Congress, there are still more rebels against official candidates of various political parties in the poll fray.