NCP (SP) sees red as Tatkare calls his party 'original'

Mumbai: The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) on Wednesday hit out at Sunil Tatkare, an MP of the rival NCP faction, for describing his party as "original" while congratulating the newly elected Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.

In his speech in the Lok Sabha, Tatkare said he was congratulating Birla "on behalf of the original Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar." The NCP (SP) posted a video clip of Tatkare's remark on X while stating that "nobody becomes original just by making mere claims." "A brand is always a brand. Many wish to copy the brand, but the people of Baramati and Shirur have shown which one is the original brand," the Sharad Pawar-led party said, referring to the party's victory in these two seats against the candidates of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

NCP (SP) also claimed that had its candidate been in the fray in Raigad constituency, Tatkare could not have won from there, and would have ended up entering Parliament through the "backdoor" (Rajya Sabha).

Tatkare, who defeated his nearest Shiv Sena (UBT) rival in Raigad, is the sole MP of his party in the lower house of Parliament.

Incidentally, Sunetra Pawar, Ajit Pawar's wife who lost in the Baramati seat against her sister-in-law and incumbent NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, was later elected to the Rajya Sabha.