MUMBAI: A day after the party suffered a split, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday appointed Sonia Doohan as the in-charge of the NCP’s New Delhi Central office.
“It is hereby notified all public and office bearers of NCP that from today Ms Sonia Doohan will be in charge of Nationalist Congress Party, New Delhi central office,” the release by Sharad Pawar stated.
Earlier today, the NCP chief removed party vice president Praful Patel and MP Sunil Tatkare from the party “for indulging in anti-party activities”.
Pawar said that NCP will also initiate appropriate proceedings for the formal disqualification of these MPs.
The action came hours after the party’s working president Supriya Sule recommended action against the two leaders for “facilitating and spearheading swearing of nine MLAs as cabinet ministers” in the BJP-Shiv Sena Maharashtra government.
Ajit Pawar, who was the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, took oath as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister on Sunday. Eight other MLAs joined the government.
“Your actions of supporting Ajit Pawar and the eight other MLAs, who have sworn oath as Ministers in violation of the party’s direction and mandate, ex-facie amount to anti-party activities and that you deemed to have voluntarily left the membership of Nationalist Congress Party,” Pawar said in a communication which was also sent to the two-party MPs.
Praful Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been a close associate of Pawar and was working president of NCP last month. He was a minister in the Congress-led UPA government along with Pawar. (ANI)