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A day after Pawar steps down as NCP chief, Jayant Patil spends a day in Pune
There were initial reports that a meeting of top NCP leaders was being held in Mumbai and Patil had not been invited to it. However, party leaders denied reports of meeting
Pune: Even as several leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) gathered at Y.B. Chavan centre in Mumbai a day after Sharad Pawar announced relinquishing the chief’s post, the party’s state unit chief Jayant Patil was in Pune on Wednesday. In the afternoon, he was called to Mumbai by Pawar, leaders said.
Reacting to reports about why he was not attending the meeting in Mumbai and whether he is being sidelined, Patil said there was no meeting scheduled and he was attending a programme in Pune as per pre-decided plan.
There were initial reports that a meeting of top NCP leaders was being held in Mumbai and Patil had not been invited to it. However, party leaders denied reports of meeting.
“I got a call from Supriya Sule and she told me that there was no meeting scheduled. As far as I am concerned, I am attending Pune event as per pre-decided schedule,” said Patil.
In Mumbai, senior NCP leader Praful Patel denied that the state NCP chief was upset with the party.
Patil said that he was among several people who had joined the NCP after being inspired by “Pawar saheb’s” leadership, a day after the veteran leader announced he would be stepping down as NCP chief.
Asked if he would work under Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule as the national president as her name is doing the rounds for the top post, Patil said whatever decision the party takes, everyone has to accept it.
To a question, if he was one of the contenders for the national president, Patil said he doesn’t consider himself eligible to work at the national level. “I would like to continue working in the state. Our demand is that Pawar saheb continues as the national chief. So, it is inappropriate to discuss other names,” he said.
