Four NCP leaders – Ajit Gavahane, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, student leader Yash Sane, and two former corporators — Pankaj Bhalekar and Rahul Bhosale — quit the party.
Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SCP on Wednesday claimed after four NCP leaders, including the party’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief, resigned from the party, more leaders from the Ajit Pawar-led faction would quit in the run-up to the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Speaking to a news agency, NCP (SCP) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar performed very badly. All those who went with him saw defeat. Now, all those people who went with him are saying that if they stick with Ajit Pawar, they might lose the upcoming election… Before the state polls, many people may leave Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde.”
Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held later this year.
Advertisement
The four leaders who quit the NCP are Ajit Gavahane, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, student leader Yash Sane, and two former corporators — Pankaj Bhalekar and Rahul Bhosale.
They are likely to meet Sharad Pawar soon and join his faction of the NCP.
Their resignations came days after an RSS-linked magazine, Organiser, held BJP’s alliance with Ajit Pawar responsible for the saffron outfit’s relatively poor show in the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra.
Crasto said the Organiser article showed that the BJP doesn’t need Ajit Pawar and his team anymore.
“BJP broke parties and families in the quest to gain some votes. The people of Maharashtra have proved which is the real NCP. It is the one led by Sharad Pawar…. The people have also shown which is the real Shiv Sena — the one led by Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray. BJP has realised that taking Ajit Pawar means a loss to them.”
He further claimed that people within the Ajit Pawar camp have also realised that they made a mistake by aligning with him.
“I think in times to come, BJP wants Ajit Pawar away from them and is finding reasons to say that they are in trouble,” he added.
Advertisement
