Pune city chief of NCP (SP) quits; said to be upset over proposed alliance with Ajit Pawar's party

Pune, Dec 24 (PTI) Amid talk of the rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party joining hands for the January 15 civic elections here, NCP (SP) Pune city president Prashant Jagtap on Wednesday resigned from his post.

Jagtap, who is reportedly unhappy with the proposed alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, did not disclose his reasons.

He submitted the resignation to state NCP (SP) president Shashikant Shinde and working president of the party Supriya Sule via email, he said.

"I would like to thank Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule and all other party leaders and workers who stood beside me for the last 27 years. Heeding the call of my conscience, I am submitting my resignation," Jagtap told reporters.

"I will definitely contest the upcoming municipal polls. I will finalise from which party I am going to contest in the next two days. I have requested all my party workers not to make any remarks against the party (NCP(SP))," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sule said her party would not forge an alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP for the Pune civic polls until all the doubts and apprehensions of party workers were addressed.

About Jagtap’s disappointment, Sule said she spoke to him at length, and assured him that the party's ideology and policy would not be compromised. “Jagtap’s concerns were valid. His questions are absolutely valid,” she added. PTI COR KRK