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.
State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare 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 from Ahmednagar and Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil from Madha constituencies have stated that they were not called by Sunil Tatkare to join his faction. They clarified that they will stay with Sharad Pawar led party and work for revival of the party.
NCP-SP MP Wardha Amar Kale also declared that he never received any call from Sunil Tatkare.
However, he claimed: "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 said they have also raised complaints to Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule about this.
Claimed senior party legislator Shashikant Shinde, who lost both Lok Sabha and assembly elections as NCP-SP nominee from Satara district, said that the party will stay in opposition, dispelling rumors of merging with Ajit Pawar faction or joining 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.
In the meantime, Sharad Pawar will on Thursday meet 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 as well as its revival roadmap.
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