Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar on Friday announced that he would attend, along with the party's working president Praful Patel, a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) convened by Prime Minister Modi in the national capital on July 18.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former CM Chandrababu Naidu will also attend the NDA meeting at the Ashoka Hotel on Tuesday. Both the parties are ex-alliance partners of the NDA.
No Split In NCP: Praful Patel
Purring things in perspective, Patel, told a press conference that “there is no split in the NCP’’. He insisted that a majority of the party leaders are backing Ajit Pawar and had elected him the party chief a few days before the mutiny. “We have reported this to the Election Commission", he said.
Praful Patel disclosed that this meeting which elected Ajit Pawar as the party's national president was held on June 30 at "Devgiri", the official residence of Ajit Pawar in Mumbai, where MLAs, office-bearers and party workers unanimously elected the latter as their leader.
Ajit Pawar Appoints Patel As National Working President Of Party
In turn, Ajit Pawar appointed Patel as the national working president on June 30 and immediately apprised Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar about the new arrangement, asserting that Sharad Pawar no longer has any position in the party.
He also told the Speaker that Anil Patel continues to be the party whip in the Assembly while he informed the legislative council chairperson that Amol Mitkari is the party's whip in the council.
Ajit Camp Claims Stake Of Entire Party With Support Of 40 MLAs
Praful Patel said his party had submitted affidavits of 40 NCP MLAs in support of Ajit Pawar to the Election Commission to stake claim to the party's name and the electoral symbol.
He said Jayant Patil's letter to the Assembly Speaker, seeking to disqualify Ajit and eight others who had joined the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government on July 2, was invalid and so the Speaker should not act on it as it is his domain to disqualify the MLAs under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution.
He also claimed a meeting of the NCP's working committee held by Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Thursday was not official and as such the decision taken in that meeting to expel or disqualify leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction, were illegal and not applicable."
