Four corporators join NCP

NAGPUR, NOV 13: Four corporators from Nagpur joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as its associate members at a function arranged i...

NAGPUR, NOV 13: Four corporators from Nagpur joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as its associate members at a function arranged in presence of State unit President Babanrao Pachpute and Minister for Krishna Valley Development Ajit Pawar.

But it was robbed of much of its glamour because of the absence of senior leaders from the Vidarbha region, including Food and Civil Supplies Minister Datta Meghe, Minister of State for Education Anil Deshmukh and the party’s district unit President Sudhakar Deshmukh. Pawar however tried to play down their absence saying that they were pre-occupied with other functions.

Meghe did attend a programme in Wardha. But speculations were rife that Meghe prefered to stay away from the city function because he had little say in its organisation.

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The function was organised with the initiative of another NCP leader and Chairman of Vidarbha Statutory Development Board, Harshwardhan Deshmukh. Anil Deshmukh and Sudhakar Deshmukh kept away to express resentment against the appointment of Sunil Shinde to head MHADA’s regional board.

Pawar spoke at length on the party’s role in the State and at the national level. The NCP has a crucial to role to play, as an alternative to the “communal” BJP and also to the Congress, he said.

About the threat of drought looming large over a major part of the State, Pawar assured that sufficient water would be released from irrigation dams to meet the drinking water needs of people.

While admitting the corporators into the party fold, Pachpute blasted the Bharatiya Janata Party for its “utter failure to perform” as a ruling party at the Centre, in states and also at the municipal level.

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But as a ruling party, the BJP’s performance has remained much worse than that of earlier governments, he alleged.

Among those present were Harshwardhan Deshmukh, party MLA Ramesh Bang, Girish Gandhi, former MLA Sunil Kedar and Sunil Shinde. City unit president Pramod Darne made the introductory remarks.

The corporators joining the NCP as associate members were Raju Bahadure and Kalyan singh Kapoor of the Republican Party of India, Chandrakala Parve of Janata Dal and Prabhakar Yeole (Independent).