Two factions of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers on Sunday were engaged in a heated altercation outside the party office in Mumbai, where NCP president Sharad Pawar was holding a meeting to strategise for the Assembly polls.

The ruckus was between supporters of party’s Parbhani Lok Sabha candidate Rajesh Vitekar and MLA Madhusudan Kendre, with each group holding the other responsible for Mr. Vitekar’s loss in the general elections. Mr. Vitekar was considered the favourite to win, but lost to Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Jadhav by around 42,000 votes. As the crowd swelled, the police had to intervene to maintain peace.

Mr. Pawar has begun district-wise meetings to finalise the candidates from respective district for the Assembly polls. This comes in the backdrop of the crushing defeat the party received in the Lok Sabha polls.

On Sunday, the Marathwada region was to be discussed and workers were called in to put forward their views.

NCP’s Maharashtra president Jayant Patil said no physical altercation took place and it was a passionate inner-party debate, which has been painted in a wrong manner.

“The party workers openly and fiercely put forward their views during party meetings. A passionate discussion between the workers is being painted as an argument and altercation by the a section of the media. There was neither untoward behaviour, nor a physical fight. This is not the NCP’s culture,” he said.