The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has named former Pune Mayor and party's City President Prashant Jagtap as its candidate for the Hadapsar Assembly seat elections, likely to be held in October-November this year. The announcement was made by senior party leader Jayant Patil on Thursday during a 'Vijay Nischay' meeting of party workers in Hadapsar, just two days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the faction headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as the real NCP.
Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Jagtap expressed his gratitude towards Patil for making the announcement and the party for nominating him from the Hadapsar constituency. He emphasised his unwavering dedication to the party, stating that he never prioritises personal gain over its interests. Jagtap attributed his current position to the guidance of the party chief Sharad Pawar, whom he regards as his idol. He pledged to work diligently for the party's success and expressed confidence in winning the election.
Patil, while addressing party workers, emphasised the widespread respect for Sharad Pawar and assured victory in Hadapsar through collective efforts. "Two days ago we lost our party name and symbol. Yesterday, we got a new name, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) for the Rajya Sabha polls. People are with Sharad Pawar. The sympathy factor (over losing party name and symbol), the respect everyone has for Pawar saheb and your votes and efforts will guarantee victory in this constituency (Hadapsar). Booth committees, with 10 to 15 members each, need to be formed at the grassroots level to strengthen the party's base. Reach out to voters and raise issues like inflation, unemployment, rise in fuel prices," Patil said at the meeting.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar on Thursday said that when nobody supported Jagtap in the party, he took the lead in making him the City President. "He (Jagtap) has resigned as party unit president. He had tendered his resignation accusing people in the party of harassing him. I did not accept the resignation then. We had counselled him," he said.
Chetan Tupe, representing the Ajit Pawar faction, currently serves as the MLA from Hadapsar, having defeated BJP's Yogesh Tilekar in the 2019 Assembly elections.
