"Workers Of Both NCPs Want To Unite, Family Tensions Sorted": Ajit Pawar

Workers of the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) two factions want to unite and all tensions within the Pawar family have been resolved, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

"The workers of both parties want to unite. The two NCPs are together now. All tensions in our family have ended," he said.

The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, split two years ago following a mutiny by his nephew, Ajit Pawar. The Ajit Pawar-led faction subsequently joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and he took charge as Deputy Chief Minister.

Ajit Pawar also claimed the NCP's party name and 'clock' symbol, while Sharad Pawar's faction received a new name, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), and a new symbol, a trumpet.

The two factions have decided to join forces for the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation election.

Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule, Sharad Pawar's daughter and Ajit Pawar's cousin, also confirmed to NDTV that the two NCP factions have come together for the Pimpri-Chinchwad polls on the demand of party workers.

"There has been no discussion on whether this alliance with Ajit Pawar will continue," she said.

Sule also trashed rumours of NCP (SP) joining Maharashtra's BJP-led government and her taking charge as a minister. "Let those who are happy with such rumours talk about them," she said.

Ajit Pawar touched upon other matters such as the controversy over a land deal linked to his son, Parth Pawar.

"He didn't give a single rupee. We also didn't buy any land," Ajit Pawar said.

On the patch-up between MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena's (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray, the deputy chief minister showed no concern of any political threat. He dismissed the Raj Thackeray factor as inconsequential to the upcoming election to the Mumbai civic agency, the country's richest municipal body.

"Raj Thackeray's speech is like a mimicry show; it gives entertainment for a short time, but nothing can be achieved with it. Both Raj and Uddhav will not be successful," Ajit Pawar told NDTV.

Sule attacked the BJP for sowing divisions among small parties and breaking them. She pointed at the huge controversy in West Bengal where the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the political consultancy form I-PAC.

"Pollution, potholes and traffic problems are at their peak in Mumbai, no work has been done on the ground. The public and voters are troubled by the mismatched alliances happening in Maharashtra. How are so many leaders being elected unopposed? This is a disturbing trend," Sule told NDTV.