Party foundation day on June 10 | Show of strength in Pune: Ajit Pawar-led NCP & Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) plan separate events

The NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar will hold its foundation day function at Balgandharva Rangmandir and has directed all its MPs, legislators, office-bearers and district in-charges to attend the event, said state NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil.

“The function ahead of the civic polls will strengthen party workers. It will be addressed by Sharad Pawar, party executive president Supriya Sule and Jayant Patil,” said city NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap. He added that Pune has been a bastion of the NCP (SP) so the function will energise party workers to regain power in PMC.

The NCP led by Ajit Pawar will hold a grand function on the same day at the Sports Complex in Balewadi. All senior party leaders, office-bearers and elected representatives will attend the function.

City NCP chief Sunil Tingre said the city unit is working hard to make the function organised under the leadership of Ajit Pawar and state unit chief Sunil Tingre a grand success. “Party workers and leaders from across the country will gather in the city on June 10. It is important in the backdrop of the forthcoming civic polls,” he said.

The united NCP was in power in the PMC and PCMC from 2007 till 2017, emerging as an influential party under Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar.

After the split in the NCP, as the Ajit Pawar-led faction joined the NDA, the two NCPs engaged in a tussle in court and the election commission over the party symbol and name. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP was given the name and symbol even as a final decision is pending in the Supreme Court. The two contested the polls separately with the NCP (SP) performing much better in the Lok Sabha elections while the NCP emerged the third largest party in the state Assembly, much ahead of NCP (SP)’s performance.