Mumbai, Nov 10 Amid the ongoing elections to the local and civic body elections, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party on Monday released a list of 17 party spokespersons to strongly put up its stand.
The list of spokespersons includes Anil Patil, Rupali Chakankar, Brijmohan Srivastava, Chetan Tupe, Anand Paranjape, Avinash Adik, Sana Malik, Rajlaxmi Bhosale, Suraj Chavan, Hemlata Patil, Pratibha Shinde, Vikas Pasalkar, Rajiv Sable, Prashant Pawar, Shyam Saner, Sayali Dalvi and Shashikant Tarange.
The announcement coincided with the opposition’s move to target the NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar over the Pune land deal involving his son Parth Pawar.
NCP also chose to appoint the State Women Commission chairperson, Rupali Chakankar, and state NCP women wing president as spokesperson despite being targeted by the opposition and the party activist Rupali Patil for her statements on the suicide of a Satara woman doctor.
However, NCP has stripped Rupali Patil of the party spokesperson’s job for making anti-party statements. The party had recently served her notice in the wake of making personal allegations against Rupali Chakankar.
Rupali Patil, in her reaction, said, “ I am out of Pune today. I could not be contacted as I am on a trip. Today, the party has appointed new spokespersons. The names of MLAs Amol Mitkari and Vaishalitai Nagwade, including me are not part of the list. We are ready to face the upcoming elections. We will do the party's work vigorously. I will meet Ajit Pawar and talk about this list and get information about it, then I will talk to all of you in detail.”
NCP has also dropped party legislator Amol Mitkari as the spokesperson. Mitkari has been hogging headlines for sparking controversies by targeting the leaders of the MahaYuti alliance.
Further, NCP also removed Vaishali Nagawade, who comes from the Daund constituency in Pune district, as the spokesperson.
Incidentally, Suraj Chavan, who was embroiled in a controversy over the assault case, has been appointed as spokesperson. Suraj Chavan had to step down as the NCP’s state youth wing after the video went viral about him allegedly assaulting Chhava Sanghatna state president Vijaykumar Ghatge in July.
Thereafter, he was appointed as the state party general secretary. The Maharashtra government later inducted Suraj Chavan into the committee to draft the state’s revised youth policy.
NCP has released the list of party spokespersons when the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena legislator, Mahendra Dalvi from Alibag constituency in Raigad district, accused party president and DCM Ajit Pawar of lying to save his own Parth Pawar in the Pune land deal case. NCP has already hit back, saying that it will adopt a tit for tat policy to give a befitting reply.
Paranjape, in his reaction, said, “The Party gives responsibilities at different junctures. With the local and civic body elections under way the party has released a list of spokespersons with the task of putting the party’s ideology and line before the people of Maharashtra. Those who have been dropped will be given responsibilities in the party organisation.
--IANS
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