Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.
Credit: PTI File Photos
Mumbai: In what comes as a major twist in Maharashtra politics, Ajit Pawar-led NCP is likely to join hands the NCP (SP) headed by party founder and Pawar-family patriarch Sharad Pawar to contest the crucial elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Besides, the Junior Pawar has also reached out to the Congress MLC Satej Patil for bringing the grand old party on board in Pune, the bastion of the Pawar family.
Patil confirmed that he has received a call from Ajit Pawar. “I have received a call from Ajit Dada…the proposal (of NCP tie-up with Congress) had come for Pune (only). We are deliberating on it, and holding discussions with the Congress's local leadership and the party's President Harshvardhan Sapkal," he said.
The Senior Pawar, however, has not made any comments publicly on the developments in Pune.
The PMC, which has 165 seats, is the biggest corporation in Maharashtra, if one takes into account its geographical size.
The formal NCP-NCP (SP) alliance is expected to be announced on Thursday or Friday, leaders of the two factions said on Tuesday.
Over the past few days, the leaders of the two parties have been informally holding discussions.
NCP (SP) Working President and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and party’s state unit President Shashikant Shinde dropped hints of alliance.
NCP (SP) Pune unit President Prashant Jagtap, however, seems to be unhappy over the party’s decision.
“Discussions are happening at various levels…till sometime concrete comes out, we cannot comment. However, whatever decision is taken will be in the interests of Pune and its residents,” said Sule, adding that everyone will be taken into confidence before arriving at a decision.
On Jagtap’s resignation, she said: “I am not aware of it…as protocol it would go to Shinde…I have no knowledge of it.”
Asked about it, state NCP President Sunil Tatkare said: “Whatever the NCP has achieved in Pune so far, consistently since the 1999 elections, has happened under Ajit Dada’s leadership. Everyone has complete faith in his leadership, and the people of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad also trust Ajit Dada.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) upset
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) seems to be upset over the NCP-NCP (SP) developments in Pune. “We will speak to Sharad Pawar on this,” Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said. “Ajit Pawar’s leaders are (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and (Maharashtra Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis. Sharad Pawar is our margdarshak (guide)….he has always spoken for the Constitution and how democracy is under threat….we will speak to him,” he added.