Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has expelled senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare hours after MP Supriya Sule moved a disqualification proceeding against them for “anti-party activities” a day after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde government and took oath as Maharashtra deputy chief minister in a dramatic series of events. Patel was NCP's national working president, while Tatkare was a national general secretary of the party.
Earlier in the day, the party supremo sacked three other MLAs – Narendra Rathod, Akola city district chief Vijay Deshmukh and state minister Shivajirao Garje – who attended the ceremony on Sunday.
On Sunday, Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil said his party moved the disqualification petition against Ajit Pawar and eight others who led a vertical split of the party. He said an e-mail had been sent to the Election Commission of India informing that the rank and file of the NCP is with party chief Sharad Pawar.
Meanwhile, speaking to media, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said, “I have past experiences of MLAs leaving the party...Results will be good in future."
"Many from there (Ajit Pawar) camp called me and said that their ideology is not different from that of NCP and they will take a final call in the next few days," he said, as quoted by ANI.
Pawar Vs Pawar
In a parallel political development, Sunil Tatkare took over as the state president of NCP's Ajit Pawar faction, Praful Patel announced at a media briefing, soon after being removed as the party's working president. "Sunil Tatkare will have the authority to make organisational changes in the party," he said. The position is held by Jayant Patil under Sharad Pawar's faction of NCP.
Praful Patel also removed Jayant Patil as NCP Maharashtra chief and named Ajit Pawar as leader of the legislative party. "Ajit Pawar has been unanimously elected as the leader of the legislature party. We have informed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker about our decision," he said.
"I have taken over as the State president of the Nationalist Congress Party. I will strengthen the party in Maharashtra. I have taken into confidence all leaders of the party. I have also called a meeting of all the legislators and zila parishad leaders," Tatkare told reporters.
In other appointments announced by Patel, Rupali Chakankar has been named chief of the NCP's state women's wing, while MLC Amol Mitkari and Anand Paranjpe will be spokespersons. Suraj Chavan has been appointed the party's youth wing president in Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar said that the party and MLAs were with him and the notice for disqualification against him and the eight newly sworn-in ministers was meaningless. "Whatever we are doing is in the interest of the party. We will strengthen our party further, " he said. Meanwhile, Patel requested Sharad Pawar, who founded NCP in 1999, to give them his "blessings" saying "he is our guru".
