Ajit Pawar-led NCP leaders, corporators join Sharad Pawar's faction ahead Maharashtra assembly elections

Sharad Pawar. File Pic

Ahead of upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, several Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and corporators returned to the Sharad Pawar camp a day after resigning from the Ajit Pawar faction on Wednesday.

At Sharad Pawar's residence in Pune, the former NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief, Ajit Gavhane, was among the leaders who joined his faction.

Three other senior leaders of the NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit--Rahul Bhosale, Pankaj Bhalekar, and Yash Sane--who quit the party on Tuesday also joined the founder's camp.

In reaction to this, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) working president Supriya Sule said that Sharad Pawar has been working for development in Maharashtra and at the Centre for the last 60 years, and even people from the opposition look at him with great hope, reported ANI.

"I think many people in the party have different experiences. We have always ensured that our ideology of development remains strong. Pawar sahab (Sharad Pawar) has been continuously working for development in Maharashtra and at the Centre for the last 60 years. We have faith in Pawar sahab's ideology, and at the same time, many people in the opposition also look towards him with great hopes, which is why people are joining him," Sule said, speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Ajit Gavhane said that he, along with some other party workers who have also resigned from their posts, will be seeking blessings from NCP founder Sharad Pawar.

"I resigned yesterday, and today all the ex-corporators will be holding a meeting and strategizing our next moves. We will also take the blessing of Sharad Pawar," Gavhane said, speaking to ANI on Wednesday.

The Nationalist Congress Party split last year when Ajit Pawar led some MLAs and joined the ruling Eknath Shinde Sena and BJP government.

Gavhane claimed that the development work done by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was different from that done by both Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.

"If you look at Pimpri-Chinchwad, both Ajit dada and Pawar sahab had contributed to its development. But since 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been ruling PPMC (Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation). The development work here was done in the wrong way, especially if you look at other constituencies. There was rampant corruption here, and the sitting MLA is responsible for it," Gavhane said, reported ANI.

Speaking about other party leaders who have resigned from their posts, Gavhane said, "Along with me, corporators like Rahul Bhosale, Pankaj Bhalekar, and Yash Sane have resigned," reported ANI.

When asked if he is interested in contesting the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, Gavhane said, "Yes, I am interested in contesting the Vidhan Sabha elections," reported ANI.

(With inputs from ANI)