No Official Alliance Proposal With Ajit Pawar-Led NCP Yet, Says Supriya Sule On Pune Civic Polls

Pune: There has been no official proposal of an alliance between her party and the faction led by Ajit Pawar for the civic elections in Pune, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said on Tuesday, even as veteran leader Ankush Kakade stated that they have in principle decided to join hands.

A meeting of the NCP and NCP (SP) took place here earlier in the day, said Kakade, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar-led party.

"Three leaders from each side including me took part in the meeting. (City NCP(SP) chief) Prashant Jagtap was not there as he has gone to Mumbai for some work. A detailed discussion took place and it was in principle decided that we will jointly contest the civic polls in Pune, but we will be talking to our other colleagues in the evening," he told reporters.

They will speak to Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress about taking along the Ajit Pawar-led NCP (which is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in Maharashtra), Kakade said, adding that they were keen on contesting as part of the MVA to keep the BJP out of power in Pune.

But when asked by reporters in Mumbai about Kakade's statements, NCP (SP) MP Sule said, "Neither have they (Ajit Pawar-led NCP) sent us any proposal, nor have we sent them any proposal. The MVA has had an extensive meeting over the alliance issue. The decision to include someone in the Maha Vikas Aghadi will be taken after holding discussions with everyone." Asked whether Jagtap had resigned from the party as he was upset over a possible alliance with the rival NCP, Sule said neither she nor the NCP (SP) state president Shashikant Shinde had received his resignation.

Any decision regarding an alliance with the rival NCP or any other party will be taken by keeping in mind the party workers, people of Pune and the development of the city, Sule said.

On a reported conversation between deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Congress leader Satej Patil over an alliance in Pune, Sule said it showed that "something is going on between these two parties," but she had not received any formal proposal from any of them.

"Shiv Sena (UBT) and our leaders are holding a meeting in Mumbai today," Sule said, adding, "We would make efforts to ensure that both the Thackeray brothers (Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray), Congress, and NCP (SP) fight the civic polls in an alliance," she added.

The two Thackeray cousins contesting the civic polls together after so many years would be a fitting tribute to late Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena founder, said Sule.

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