'No Backtracking On Decision To Join NDA': NCP's Ajit Pawar Faction Ahead Of Speaker's Verdict

Hours before the verdict on the petitions filed by the two NCP factions against each other, the group led by Ajit Pawar said that it would not reconsider its decision to join the NDA.

In anticipation of Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's impending decision on Thursday regarding the petitions filed by rival factions within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the group led by Ajit Pawar asserted that the party won't backtrack from their decision to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The NCP witnessed a division in July last year when Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs aligned with the state government, a coalition led by Eknath Shinde, comprising the Shiv Sena and BJP. This move resulted in cross-petitions being filed by the opposing NCP factions.

In accordance with the directives of the Supreme Court, Speaker Narwekar is expected to announce his verdict on Thursday concerning the disqualification petitions filed by the feuding NCP factions.

Sunil Tatkare, representing the NCP (Ajit Pawar group), in a conversation with ABP Manjha, said, “There is no turning back from our decision to join the NDA. The decision was made by our leader and state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. We are optimistic that the speaker will rule in our favour”. 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently assigned the party name 'NCP' and the poll symbol 'clock' to the Ajit Pawar-led faction. Additionally, the party name 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' was allotted to the group led by Sharad Pawar.

Tatkare, who serves as the party’s state president and a Lok Sabha member, asserted that some leaders from the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar faction are expressing interest in joining their ranks.

“Several individuals are in communication with me, and others are in contact with Ajit Pawar. We are open to welcoming members from the other side into our party ahead of the elections,” he mentioned.

Tatkare also talked about the positive response his faction has received from various sections of society, particularly after the decision to align with the government.

“It is evident that our leadership enjoys broad acceptance among the people, as demonstrated by the support of 43 out of 53 MLAs,” he added.

On Wednesday, the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) refuted reports suggesting plans to merge with any other political party.