We will see huge supporters joining Sharad Pawar: NCP leader Anil Deshmukh

Anil Deshmukh. File Pic

Ahead of the meeting called by two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra, former state Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday said that they would witness a significant number of supporters joining NCP chief Sharad Pawar when he travels outside Maharashtra, according to the ANI.

Speaking to the media at the YB Chavan Centre, Deshmukh said, "We will see a huge number of supporters joining Sharad Pawar when he goes out of Maharashtra."

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The two factions of the NCP have called separate meetings on Wednesday in an apparent display of strength.

Supporters of NCP chief Sharad Pawar have gathered outside the YB Chavan Centre ahead of the meeting called by the party chief.

NCP working president and MP Supriya Sule also arrived at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai, reported the ANI.

The NCP suffered a split on Sunday when Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government, along with eight other MLAs.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, has filed a disqualification petition against the nine MLAs with Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Mundo, Dharmaraobaba Atram, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode, and Anil Patil joined the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra government on Sunday.

"Your actions of supporting Ajit Pawar and the eight other MLAs, who have sworn an oath as Ministers in violation of the party's direction and mandate, ex-facie amount to anti-party activities, and you are deemed to have voluntarily left the membership of the Nationalist Congress Party," Pawar said in a communication that was also sent to the two-party MPs.

"I formally remove your names from the Membership Register of the Party in view of your actions of voluntarily giving up membership of the Nationalist Congress Party," it said, as per the ANI.

The communication stated that the actions of the MPs "in a surreptitious manner, without the knowledge or consent of the party president, amount to the desertion of the party, which in turn invites disqualification from primary membership."

Praful Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been a close associate of Pawar and was appointed as the working president of the NCP last month. He was a minister in the Congress-led UPA government along with Pawar.

Sharad Pawar's daughter, Supriya Sule, had written to him for action against the two MPs.

(with ANI inputs)