Mumbai, Jan 8 Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party-SP on Wednesday set at rest all speculation over joining the NCP led by Ajit Pawar or MahaYuti saying that there has been no offer from the faction led by the Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister or any thinking within the party.
On the other hand, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare also denied the media reports that they had contacted seven out of eight MPs of NCP-SP with an offer to join the party.
These MPs have also claimed that they had not received any call from Tatkare with a proposal to join the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Sharad Pawar at the interactive meeting with the youth, women and student wings held on Wednesday in Mumbai indicated that the NCP-SP would remain in opposition and the party has no plans to join the Ajit Pawar faction or the MahaYuti government.
He has asked the party cadres not to be depressed by party’s performance in the Assembly election but gear up for the upcoming civil and local body elections.
NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar, who is the grand nephew of Sharad Pawar, said: "There is a talk about Sunil Tatkare contacting our party MPs. I strongly feel that our MPs will not take any decision defying the party line despite several attempts from the other side."
He further stated that "Sunil Tatkare’s party is headed by Ajit Pawar whose stand will be treated as party’s policy".
NCP-SP MPs Nilesh Lanke and Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil from Ahmednagar and Madha constituencies respectively have said that they were not contacted by Sunil Tatkare with an offer to join the Ajit Pawar faction. Both clarified that they would remain with Sharad Pawar led party and contribute for the party's revival.
NCP-SP MP Wardha Amar Kale also said that he has not received any call from Sunil Tatkare.
However, he said: "Congress party office bearer Sonia Duhan was contacting us and she had insisted that we go with the Ajit Pawar group. She had also said that if you want to do development work, you have no option but to join the NDA. She had claimed that she had contacted not only me but also Nilesh Lanka, Bhaskar Bhagre, Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil and Bajrang Sonawane."
He added that they have complained to Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule in this regard.
Senior party legislator Shashikant Shinde, who lost both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections as NCP-SP nominee from Satara district also claimed that the party will remain in the opposition denying rumours about its merger with Ajit Pawar faction or joining the MahaYuti.
“Our president Sharad Pawar is very clear that NCP-SP will maintain its own identity and work hard for its revival ahead of local and civic body elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar will meet on Thursday the party office bearers across the state, sitting MPs and legislators, former MPs and legislators and discuss with them the party's strategy for upcoming local and civic body elections and also the roadmap for its revival.
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