Ajit Pawar appoints Narendra Rane as NCP's state working president

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 6 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Thursday appointed Narendra Rane as Mumbai's Working President of the party.

Pawar handed over the appointment letter to Rane and also congratulated him.

Meanwhile, the working committee of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Sharad Pawar has approved his decision of "expelling Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare and nine MLAs who have joined hands with the NDA."

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was among the nine NCP MLAs who joined the Shinde-BJP government on July 2.

Talking to the media after the working committee meeting of the group led by Sharad Pawar, Congress leader PC Chacko said the organisation is intact and not a single of the 27 state committees of the party has said that they are not with the party chief.

"The Working Committee of the Nationalist Congress Party approved the decision of Sharad Pawar of expelling Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare and 9 MLAs who have joined hands with the NDA," Chacko said.

"Not a single of the 27 state committees of the party has said that they are not with Sharad Pawar. The organisation is intact," he added.

The working committee of the Nationalist Congress Party passed eight resolutions in the meeting.

Sharad Pawar, who addressed a crucial party meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday, convened a working committee meeting in the national capital.

However, the Ajit Pawar faction has claimed that the meeting of the national executive, national working committee, national office bearers, and state party presidents of NCP called by Sharad Pawar in New Delhi on Thursday has no legal sanctity.

Ajit Pawar faction claimed that the dispute of representation real NCP is within the jurisdiction of the ECI and no one has any authority to call for any meeting till the dispute is settled by the ECI.

"The dispute on the question of who represents the real NCP is within the exclusive jurisdiction of the ECI and therefore no person within the Party has any authority to call for any meeting of the National Executive/National Working Committee/ National Office Bearers / State Party Presidents till such time the dispute is finally decided by the ECI," said a press note released by the Ajit Pawar faction.

"The meeting of the National Executive, National Working Committee, National Office Bearers or State Party Presidents of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on July 6 has no legal sanctity whatsoever," the statement said.

"Further, any of the decisions which may be taken in the so-called National Executive, National Working Committee, National Office Bearers or State Party Presidents shall have no valid legal basis and shall not be binding on anyone in the Party," the statement said further.

The statement said that Ajit Pawar has been elected as the National President of NCP on June 30 with the overwhelming support of the majority of elected representatives of NCP as well as the members working on different organizational posts.

"Ajit Pawar has also filed a petition before the Hon'ble Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that he represents the real NCP and therefore, the name of the party along with the symbol be granted to him," the statement added.

The NCP is facing a political crisis after Ajit Pawar joined the Shinde-BJP government. Eight other NCP MLAs also took the oath with him as ministers on Sunday.