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NCP factions close to alliance for Pune civic polls; Prashant Jagtap offers to resign
Jagtap, who has consistently opposed any tie-up with the Ajit Pawar-led faction, stayed away from the late-night meeting, underlining the depth of opposition within a section of the party.
PUNE: The Nationalist Congress Party’s two factions on Tuesday moved a step closer to contesting the Pune Municipal Corporation elections amid other Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partner - Congress - too indicating a larger alliance in Pune, arrangement, a development that has triggered internal dissent within the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), with its Pune city unit president Prashant Jagtap offering to resign in protest.
Leaders from both the NCP and NCP (SP) held a joint meeting on Tuesday, following which senior functionaries indicated that an alliance was broadly accepted, with formal talks on seat-sharing and coordination with other MVA partners yet to take place.
Jagtap, who has consistently opposed any tie-up with the Ajit Pawar-led faction, stayed away from the late-night meeting, underlining the depth of opposition within a section of the party.
Unhappy with the emerging consensus, Jagtap travelled to Mumbai to meet senior party leader Supriya Sule, amid reports that he had submitted his resignation.
“I will not speak about the resignation issue at this moment. I am going to meet Supriya Sule in Mumbai and will comment after the meeting,” Jagtap said.
NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit chief Shashikant Shinde said he had not yet received Jagtap’s resignation and maintained that discussions were still ongoing.
“We held a meeting two days ago in which leaders felt that all MVA partners should come together to stop the BJP in Pune. This includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. I have asked Prashant Jagtap to deliberate on this. As of now, I have not received any resignation,” Shinde said.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Ankush Kakade confirmed that talks between the two factions had been positive. “We had a meeting with Ajit Pawar’s NCP and it was constructive. Both parties share the same ideological roots. First, discussions on the alliance will be held, and then we will jointly engage with other MVA partners,” he said, adding that seat-sharing talks have not yet begun.
Sule, while stopping short of declaring the alliance final, indicated openness to a tie-up. “This is an election of party workers. We believe in democracy. If workers want an alliance, it will be considered. But there has to be an official proposal from the NCP,” she said.
From the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, Pune city unit chief Subhash Jagtap described the meeting as “positive and constructive”. He said leaders from both sides, including Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan, were present and that a formal announcement would follow in the coming days.
Later in the day, Prashant Jagtap confirmed that he had submitted his resignation, reiterating his opposition to the reunion. “After the split, both NCP factions contested against each other. Voters preferred NCP (SP) in the Lok Sabha elections, and even in the Assembly polls we received a sizeable vote share. If we now come together, what do we tell the voters?” he said.
Jagtap had earlier contested against Ajit Pawar faction candidate Chetan Tupe from Hadapsar, giving a close fight. He said he had publicly stated a month ago that he would step aside if the two factions decided to reunite for the civic polls.
The possible realignment has also caused unease within the Indian National Congress, an MVA constituent. Congress leader Mohan Joshi said he had conveyed his displeasure to the party high command, warning that the move could hurt the Congress in Pune.
“I have already communicated my objections to the high command regarding efforts for a possible alliance between the NCP factions within the MVA framework,” Joshi said.
While Jagtap’s resignation is yet to be accepted, sources said the Congress has reached out to him amid the churn within the NCP (SP). With civic elections approaching, the developments underline both the momentum towards Opposition unity in Pune and the internal strains such a strategy is generating on the ground.
