Congress activists of Ralegaon assembly segments to join NCP

Yavatmal, Maharashtra, Dec 3 (UNI) Over 15,000 Congress activists of the 'Kalalmb Taluka Vikas Aghadi' under the leadership of a member of the Yavatmal Zilla Parishad and Director of the Maharashtra State Agriculture Produces Marketing Federation, Mr Pravin Deshmukh will join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) en bloc tomorrow.

Their induction into the NCP fold will be held at a colourful function on the premises of the 'Maharudra Hanuman Temple' here and will be attended by party's big-wigs like NCP State President Arun Gujarathi, Maharashtra ministers Ajitdada Pawar, Manoharrao Naik and Dilip Walse Patil, among others.

At a press conference here today, NCP District President Mr Sanjay Derekar said that senior leaders of his party are attending the party workers' meet at the Kalamb area here and Mr Pravin Deshmukh and his supporters would be formally welcomed into the party fold.

''There will not be any ill treatment or politically motivated humiliation thereafter to any of the new entrants in the party as speculated by a section of the local press,'' he clarified.

Mr Deshmukh is believed to be a protege of the Yavatmal district Congress Chief (YDCC) Mr Manikrao Thakre and a strong antagonist of Maharashtra Education Minister Vasantrao Purke.

While answering a question as to why he has chosen to join the NCP when it is on the decline in the state in the recent past, he said that he along with his associates had fought a number of elections earlier and made spectacular achievements. However, the alliance they made with BJP at the time of Lok Sabha and the Shiv Sena at the time of Assembly elections was a wrong decision as both the parties later retraced from their pre-poll assurances, he explained.

Over 50 sarpanchs, 30 chairmen of APMCs and other senior leaders of various political parties are set to join the NCP at the workers meet tomorrow, he added.

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