NCP Pune Unit Backs Sharad Pawar, Slams BJP For Trying To 'Break' Party

After the rebellion by NCP leader Ajit Pawar, the party's Pune unit has backed its president Sharad Pawar.

The NCP's Pune city working committee held a meeting on Tuesday and passed a resolution to support NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The committee slammed the BJP for trying to "break" the party. The resolution was moved by NCP senior leader Ankush Kakade, supported by all the leaders present in the meeting. NCP Pune city chief Prashant Jagtap and all party office-bearers and workers were present at the meeting.

The meeting comes two days after Ajit Pawar sprung a surprise on the Maha Vikas Aghadi when he reached Raj Bhavan to take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that he was unaware of his nephew's plan and asserted that MLAs may leave NCP, but the party command remained with him. Ajit Pawar, however, claimed that he now commanded the "real NCP" as he had the support of 40 out of the 53 party MLAs and six of the nine MLCs.

Following the rebellion, NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday removed MPs Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel from the party for indulging in "anti-party activities". The other NCP leaders who took oath with Ajit Pawar were Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Dhananjay Munde, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Baburao Bansode, Anil Bhaidas Patil, and Dharmarao Atram.

Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar was "unanimously elected" as the leader of the legislature party. "We have informed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker about our decision," Praful Patel said on Monday. However, the question on the "NCP's president" still remains. Ajit Pawar, who claims to command the "real NCP" fielded the question about who will be NCP national president now, saying: "Have you forgotten that Sharad Pawar is the party's national president?"

Ajit Pawar on Monday appointed Sunil Tatkare the party's state unit's president. Sunil Tatkare, the party's Lok Sabha MP from the Raigad constituency of Maharashtra, is the father of Aditi Tatkare. Aditi took oath as a minister in the Eknath Shinde Cabinet on Sunday. Aditi Tatkare is the party's MLA from the Shrivardhan constituency. She was appointed as the national general secretary of NCP.

He also said: "I have come to know from media reports that action has been taken against 9 of our MLAs. We have sent an application to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to disqualify Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad. "The majority of the NCP MLAs is with me. That is why I became the Deputy CM of Maharashtra," he added.