Days after quitting the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), former Pune Mayor Prashant Jagtap joined the Congress on Friday, amid speculation that the two NCP factions may come together ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation elections.
“The 135-year-old Congress has stood like the Himalayas despite facing many storms. I am grateful for this opportunity, and I will pursue this as a progressive worker, carrying the thoughts of Gandhi, Nehru and Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar,” Mr. Jagtap said, adding that his fight was against communalism and the politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Mr. Jagtap joined the Congress in the presence of Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and senior leader Vijay Wadettiwar at Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai. He joined the party ahead of the civic elections scheduled for January 15.
He blamed the BJP for rising crime and worsening traffic conditions in Pune, alleging that the government had failed to take effective measures to address these issues.
As political parties in the State engage in alliance calculations, Mr. Jagtap’s exit from the NCP(SP) came amid speculation of a possible understanding between the two NCP factions. A long-time loyalist of Sharad Pawar, he was among the few party leaders to quit on ideological grounds. Earlier, he had said his political thinking did not align with that of Ajit Pawar, whose faction is part of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.
