As the two NCP factions head toward reunification, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) city unit president Prashant Jagtap tendered his resignation on Wednesday, submitting it to state president Shashikant Shinde.
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said on Wednesday that her party won’t forge an alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP for the Pune civic polls until all the doubts and apprehensions of her party workers are addressed. (HT)
“I am always thankful to Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule. Voters supported me in the Assembly elections when I contested against the NCP led by Ajit Pawar. I must respect that mandate and stand by my position,” Jagtap said.
He added that he would continue in active politics and contest the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections. “Many leaders have left the party to join the BJP, but I am not doing that. I am stepping aside based on my own stand, while maintaining cordial relations. I decided to keep away so that there is no hurdle in the alliance,” Jagtap said.
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said on Wednesday that her party won’t forge an alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP for the Pune civic polls until all the doubts and apprehensions of her party workers are addressed.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Sule said they are in touch with the NCP, and potential repercussions will also be deliberated upon if both NCP groups decide to join hands.About Jagtap’s disappointment over the possible tie-up with Ajit Pawar’s NCP for the January 15 corporation elections in Pune, Sule said she spoke to him at length and understood his apprehensions.
Sule said she assured Jagtap that no ideology or party policy would be compromised if “we join hands with the NCP”.
“Jagtap’s concerns were valid. His questions are absolutely valid,” she added.
Referring to past political developments, Sule recalled that her NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar was forced out of the Congress after he raised the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, following which the NCP was formed. “Later, Sonia Gandhi showed political magnanimity and came to Pawar saheb, offering him to join the UPA government,” she said.
“Politics has its ups and downs. No ideology or party policy will be compromised if we join hands with the NCP. I have given all these assurances. There is nothing lost in translation,” Sule said, adding that Jagtap is an important leader for their party and that she has explained the organisational structure to him.
No alliance has been finalised yet, she clarified. “These are only discussions. In any strong democracy, dialogue and discussion are important,” she said.
Sule said she has not spoken to Ajit Pawar, who is also Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister and her cousin, yet. “I will speak to Ajit Dada only after listening to all party workers. I will not move ahead with any alliance until all doubts and apprehensions are addressed,” she said.
Asked that there are discussions that if the alliance between both the NCP factions take place, Ajit Pawar-led NCP might insist that NCP (SP) contest on their ‘clock’ symbol, Sule said that she has not received any such proposal, adding that it was obvious the NCP (SP) would contest on the ‘tutari’ symbol.
