With Maharashtra Assembly polls round the corner, NCP president Sharad Pawar today managed to set his own house in order by winning over three key party dissidents. He also set the ball rolling on seat adjustments with the Congress by deputing his close confidante and MoS for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel as the man to kickstart the process with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.Pawar, sources said, had a one-on-one meeting with party dissidents, including former deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal, Tribal Welfare Minister Madhukar Pichad and former minister Laxman Dhoble. Sources said Pawar listened to them, agreed to protect their self-respect and interests and assured them that they would be taken into confidence while taking key decisions.Sources said the dissidents put forth several grievances. Bhujbal complained about the overbearing attitude of Pawar’s nephew and heir-apparent Ajit Pawar and state NCP chief R.R. Patil. He was also sore that he had been denied a role in the distribution of Lok Sabha tickets. Besides, he had been left to fend for himself in the Telgi scam investigations.Sources said Dhoble blamed Deputy CM Vijaysinh Mohite Patil for his defeat in the LS polls from Usmanabad. Pichad, an Adivasi, was sore over the absence of any significant role in decision-making.Bhujbal later said: ‘‘Everything is fine now. We have put all this (dissidence) behind and will fight the polls unitedly.’’
