THE TALKS between the NCP and the NCP (SP) over a possible alliance for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections have fallen through, with the Sharad Pawar-led party rushing to renew ties with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and resuming discussions Friday evening.
MP Supriya Sule, the working president of the NCP (SP), confirmed the development. “Yes, our alliance discussion with the NCP has broken down. There will be no alliance,” Sule told The Indian Express on Saturday.
The discussions reportedly broke down after the NCP insisted that the NCP (SP) candidates contest on their ‘clock’ symbol. The NCP (SP) refused, contending that theirs was a separate party with a separate identity.
“We had not declared plans of contesting PMC elections with NCP. The NCP had approached us and we conveyed to them that the NCP (SP) will contest civic polls with partners of Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) which are MVA partners,” said NCP (SP) spokesperson Ankush Kakade.
Incidentally, an NCP (SP) delegation had met NCP chief Ajit Pawar on their plans of seats in seat-sharing arrangement but the NCP instead offered very less seats which were not acceptable for NCP (SP).
Kakade said the NCP (SP) always wanted to contest civic polls in Pune in alliance with MVA partners but the Congress had suddenly declared to contest independently.
MVA leaders from the Congress, the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) held seat-sharing discussions at a Pune hotel late on Friday. “Our relations with the Maha Vikas Aghadi are intact…our discussions have been going on,” Sule said.
However, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said, the discussions with NCP (SP) are still going on. ”As per my information, the discussions are still underway. Our president Ajit Pawar has been handling Pune city affairs since 1999 and even now, he is holding discussions with NCP (SP) leaders,” Tatkare said.
Pune city Congress president Arvind Shinde said the Maha Vikas Aghadi discussions have got under. ”Besides Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders attended the meetings yesterday and today,” he said.
The Congress said out of the 165 PMC seats, each of the three parties will get same number 50-55 seats. ”All the three parties are equally strong. Each one will get same number seats,” he said.
Asked about the possible entry of Raj Thackeray-led MNS, Shinde said, “MNS is not part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi…We have told the Sena as well about it.”
Meanwhile, even as the MVA started its discussion, the NCP (SP) made it clear that they would like to contest all the seats which their candidates had won in 2017 which includes the seats won by Prashant Jagtap and his mother.
“The NCP (SP) demanded that the seat from where Prashant Jagtap was elected should be given to them,” said Congress spokesperson Ramesh Iyer.
On Friday, former Pune mayor Prashant Jagtap switched sides from the NCP (SP) to the Congress after being upset over a possible alliance between the two NCP factions. “The only criteria of seat sharing will be winning capability,” Shinde said, adding the seat for Prashant Jagtap in Wanowrie will be contested by Congress.
Asked if the NCP (SP) had demanded Jagtap’s seat, Sule said, “I don’t know…But we are demanding the seats which we had won in the last election.”
A Congress leader said the party will not give up the seats held by Jagtap and his mother. “This issue will go to our state leadership,” the leader added.
In Pimpri-Chinchwad, the discussions between the two NCP factions have come to a standstill over the number of seats sought by Sharad Pawar’s party. “They had initially demanded 27 seats and are now seeking 23. It is impossible to give them so many seats when they have only two former corporators with them,” Yogesh Behl, Pimpri-Chinchwad NCP president, said.
Meanwhile, welcoming Prashant Jagtap into the party, city Congress chief Arvind Shinde said, “While exiting his previous party, Jagtap did not criticise it. He did not say a word against his earlier party neither did say anything against any party leader. I want to appreciate his behaviour. He is indeed a large-hearted leader.”
Shinde said Jagtap has joined Congress without putting any conditions. ”When I was the corporator, Jagtap was the mayor. I know him very well…His joining the Congress has strengthened the party. The Congress will show him the respect he deserves,” he said.
Shinde said Jagtap has full information about all the 165 seats. ”We will get important feedback and advice from him regarding all these seats. It will help us in selecting the candidates,” he said.