Sharad Pawar holds meet to take NCP into election mode

Mumbai: After the first joint Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rally on Sunday, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has chalked out a plan to further bolster the bond between the MVA constituents, gear up for the local body and general elections and also strengthen its own organisation.

The party will hold workshops led by Pawar in all six divisions of Maharashtra apart from the considerable touring to be undertaken by senior party leaders in the next two months across the state. The decision was taken in a meeting called by the NCP supremo on Tuesday.

The differences within the MVA during the first joint rally were also discussed in the meeting. State NCP leaders expressed their unhappiness with Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, who had skipped the Sambhaji Nagar rally on Sunday and expressed a fear that Patole’s tantrum could pose a hindrance in communications. “They said that coordinating with Patole was difficult and it could become challenging for them to hold a discussion about the joint fight in the upcoming polls,” said a senior NCP leader. In response, Pawar asked them to deal with the Shiv Sena (UBT) before the Congress.

In the review meeting, which was attended by all the former cabinet ministers, MPs, and presidents of all the frontal organisations, the NCP reviewed its strength, organisational set-up and future plans. The party has the maximum number of legislators in the three-party coalition and is looking to strengthen its position even further.

“The NCP has decided to strengthen its organisation with various initiatives in the coming two months. It will hold one-day workshops in all the six divisions of the state. Leaders will also visit all the districts in the next two months,” Jayant Patil, state NCP president, told reporters after the meeting. Another senior party leader said that Pawar had directed the party to start preparations for the local body elections, which could happen post-monsoon.

Apart from workshops, the party is planning to hold rallies in all state districts to rejuvenate its cadres for the polls. For this, booth committees will also be constituted in the coming days.