Pawar Factions To Come Together For Pune Polls? Big Hint From Leaders

The elections to the Brihanmumbai Corporation may see rapprochement on both sides of the political divide. While the Thackeray brothers are all set to announce their reunion tomorrow, the two factions of another party are also apparently considering a union in Pune. While senior leaders on both sides of the the Nationalist Congress Party are circumspect in their comments, a spokesman from Ajit Pawar's faction had no qualms about speaking on record.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Suraj Chavan said, "If someone has a problem with us and Sharad Pawar's NCP coming together in Pune, it means they want to further their own political agenda. Wherever possible, we will fight together".

There was, however, a caveat: "Further decisions will be made after considering the local circumstances," he added.

What Brass In Ajit Pawar Faction Say

Senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare was cautious in his response. "Ajit Pawar is currently in Pune. He is interviewing the probable candidates there. We will have a discussion on this tomorrow and things shall be clearer soon," Tatkare told reporters.

Sharad Pawar's Leader Confirms But...

There was a nod of confirmation, though, from the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP.  Senior leader Ankush Kakade said both factions have in principle decided to join hands during a meeting held in Pune earlier in the day.

"Three leaders from each side including me took part in the meeting. (City NCP(SP) chief) Prashant Jagtap was not there as he is in Mumbai. A detailed discussion took place and it was in principle decided that we will jointly contest the civic polls in Pune, but we will be talking to our other colleagues in the evening," he was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. 

State NCP-SP chief Shashikant Shinde also told reporters that the party has decided to contest the BMC elections as an ally within the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

"Our Mumbai NCP-SP President and the party's Core Committee are holding discussions with all parties except the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena. Simultaneously, talks are also underway with the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena. We held a meeting yesterday as part of these ongoing discussions," he told news agency ANI.

"There are slight differences and specific demands regarding certain seats. We will be holding another meeting today to address these. After today's deliberations, we have firmly decided to contest the Mumbai elections as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)," he added. 

The prospect of a reunion has not gone down too well with the party's Pune chief Prashant Jagtap, who held a three-hour meeting with Supriya Sule and state president Shashikant Shinde to discuss the matter. 

Sources suggest that Jagtap was keen to approach the elections as part of the MVA in Pune, even as the party inches closer to striking a deal with the rival faction. A final decision is expected tomorrow, with Supriya Sule likely to meet the party unit before announcing the decision in the evening.

NCP (SP)'s top leader Supriya Sule said no official proposal has been received for an alliance between the two factions.

She has also denied both events. "I have not received any resignation from Prashant Jagtap, nor has the State NCP-SP President Shashikant Shinde informed me of any such development. I had a two-hour discussion with Jagtap only yesterday," she said.