Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is looking for a long-term alliance with its ruling partner Shiv Sena. The party on Wednesday informed its cadres that they will remain with Sena for a long time and hence would to work accordingly to resolve disputes at local level.
The party also inducted 18 rebel corporators of Congress from Bhiwandi-Nizampur on Wednesday, giving a jolt to its alliance partner. This is likely to lead to another round of tussle between the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners — Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.
Congress’s interim president Sonia Gandhi had recently written to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and had expressed her unhappiness over the alleged non-utilisation of funds meant for socially backward classes in the state.
Kicking off its preparations for the upcoming local bodies elections, NCP had called a meeting of party cadres, leaders and candidates who had lost the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections last year. The meeting was addressed by the senior ministers and leaders including Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil.
“We know that disputes are going on at the local level since the time the MVA government was formed. But we will be staying with Shiv Sena for a long time, so act accordingly and resolve disputes,” Ajit Pawar is said to have told the gathering in his address.
{{/usCountry}}“We know that disputes are going on at the local level since the time the MVA government was formed. But we will be staying with Shiv Sena for a long time, so act accordingly and resolve disputes,” Ajit Pawar is said to have told the gathering in his address.
{{/usCountry}}Despite discontent and differences over several issues, MVA had recently completed its first year in the government. However, NCP inducted 18 rebel Congress corporators, including Bhiwandi-Nizampur’s deputy mayor Imran Ali Mohammad Khan, which may not go down well with the Congress.
The rebel corporators in cross-voting had voted for Pratibha Patil, a candidate from Konark Vikas Aghadi, for the mayoral elections, following which the Congress lost the poll, despite having 47 members in the 90-member corporation last year. The party has already initiated disciplinary action against them.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said they are rebels and a report will be sought from the district president. “They all are the rebels who have voted against a party candidate in the mayoral elections held last year. District president Tahir Rashid will be asked to submit a report on the matter,” Sawant said.
NCP leaders said the corporators were planning to leave the Congress and would have joined some other party had the NCP denied them entry. “NCP has become a centre of attraction in the state and these 18 corporators had already decided to leave the Congress. We are not at fault. They would have joined any other party if we have denied them entry,” said a senior NCP leader, wishing not to be named.
Political analyst Pratap Asbe said the move will impact the Congress-NCP relationship. “However, it won’t go to a level where they will think of falling apart from MVA, as they also need to be in power,” Asbe said.
Meanwhile, the state Congress unit has started its preparations for the upcoming local body polls. Congress’s state president Balasaheb Thorat has constituted a 13-member election management committee and appointed observers for every observer for each election. Thorat has also appointed 12 ministers as contact ministers in each of the districts going for polls. The decisions were taken in a meeting called to discuss the party’s preparations for the upcoming polls.
Five major municipal corporations — Navi Mumbai, Aurangabd, Vasai-Virar, Kalyan-Dombivli and Kolhapur — are going for polls next year. Two zilla parishads, 13 municipal councils and 83 nagar panchayats will also have elections next year.