NCP MLAs ‘have one foot in BJP ship’, says Shiv Sena; party reminds them of 2024 polls win promise
2 min read . Updated: 04 May 2023, 05:27 PM IST
Premium‘NCP is united and will put up candidates against the BJP to ensure the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) wins maximum seats in the (2024) Assembly polls’, Tapase told reporters
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday denied the claim on Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ that most politicians who ‘cried’ over the resignation of Sharad Pawar as the party president had set one foot in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Saamana editorial also analysed that Sharad Pawar's resignation speech and claimed that it was prepared and thought through, a rather unusual move. The editorial's scathing claims noted that NCP MLAs ‘have one foot in the BJP ship’.
On the future of the party, the editorial deliberated that Supriya Sule has worked great as an MP and has her grasp in New Delhi. "Ajit Pawar's only aim, on the other hand, is to become the chief minister," the editorial noted.
Pawar (82) left his party leaders and workers shellshocked on Tuesday when he announced during the launch of his revised autobiography ‘Lok Majhe Sangati’ that he would be stepping down. He also set up a party committee to decide on his successor.
The claims in Saamana comes even as NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad resigned from the post of party‘s general secretary on Wednesday, a day after NCP chief Sharad Pawar decided to step down from the responsibilities of the party. The
NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase informed that the committee that has been formed to decide on the successor to the party president position of NCP following Pawar's resignation would in turn urge Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision to resign.
Tapase told reporters that the party workers do not want Pawar to step down.
NCP workers on Thursday protested the resignation of Sharad Pawar as the NCP chief.
“The committee set up by Pawar saheb will meet tomorrow to deliberate on the issue and request him to take back his resignation," Tapase said.
To a question about an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ which claimed that most of the NCP leaders who "cried" over Pawar’s decision have their one foot in the BJP, Tapase said, “The entire NCP is united and will put up candidates against the BJP to ensure the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) wins maximum seats in the (2024) Assembly polls."
A sanitation workers was videoed by NCP leader Supriya Sule on her morning walk requesting Sharad Pawar to reconsider his resignation decision.
The tripartite MVA, comprising NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, was in power in the state for over 30 months when it collapsed last June following a rebellion in the undivided Sena led by Eknath Shinde, who then joined hands with the BJP to become the chief minister. Pawar was the architect of MVA.
Senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Wednesday said there was no question of picking Sharad Pawar’s successor as party chief until there was a final decision on his announcement to quit the post.
Pawar has not relented despite repeated appeals from NCP leaders and supporters that he withdraw his decision to step down, Patel told reporters.