Pune city chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Prashant Jagtap.
Prashant Jagtap, the Pune city chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), has offered to resign from his post amid talks of the party aligning with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP ahead of the upcoming civic elections, a senior party leader said.
Jagtap, a staunch supporter of Sharad Pawar, was opposed to the alliance from the beginning, saying it would only benefit the Ajit Pawar faction, and had earlier stated that he would step aside if the alliance was finalised.
After the NCP split, Jagtap had led the NCP(SP) unit aggressively, ensuring the party performed well in the Lok Sabha elections last year. Later, he contested the Assembly elections from Hadapsar but was defeated by NCP candidate Chetan Tupe.
A former Pune mayor, Jagtap had also said that the NCP(SP) would only contest on its ‘man blowing trumpet’ symbol.
The Pune Municipal Corporation, with 165 seats, goes to the polls on January 15. Talks of an alliance between the two NCP factions come at a time when the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in the first phase of the local body polls in the state, will be gearing up to maintain its upper hand in the municipal corporation elections.
Party leaders from both sides confirmed that the talks have been positive.
“The pre-poll alliance between the two NCPs is almost final. Just the announcement is left. Both will contest on one NCP symbol,” former mayor and NCP leader Datta Dhankawade said.
State NCP(SP) chief Shashikant Shinde also admitted that local party leaders have discussed a possible alliance. “I have asked the local party leaders to discuss the pre-poll alliance. If the seat-sharing favours us, the possibility of an alliance cannot be ruled out. This is done considering the way the BJP is poaching aspirants of both the NCPs ahead of the civic polls,” he said.
Pune NCP chief Subhash Jagtap said that the alliance discussion has been positive so far. “No party is pressing its demands, and all are ready to adjust on seat sharing,” he said, questioning Prashant Jagtap’s opposition to a pre-poll alliance, saying it was Ajit Pawar who had built his political career.
Meanwhile, former corporator Vishal Tambe of the NCP(SP), who had publicly called for an NCP(SP)-NCP alliance, declared that he will not contest the current civic polls.