Sharad Pawar Sacks Praful Patel, Tatkare From NCP a Day After Ajit Pawar Revolt

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar on Monday disqualified members of the Lok Sabha, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, hours after NCP working president Supriya Sule requested so in an official letter addressed to him.

Taking to Twitter, Pawar declared "I, as the National President, Nationalist Congress Party hereby order removal of the names of Shri Sunil Tatkare and Shri Praful Patel from the Register of Members of NCP Party for anti-party activities."

NCP working President Supriya Sule, in an official letter addressed to Sharad Pawar, requested the disqualification of Members of Lok Sabha, Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel.

"Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel on 2nd July 2023 acted in direct contravention of the Party Constitution and Rules, amounting to desertion and disqualification from the party membership. I request honorable Pawar Saheb to take immediate action and file disqualification petitions under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India before the Competent Authority against them for engaging in anti-party activities," Sule wrote in the letter addressed to Sharad Pawar.

The action comes a day after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government as deputy chief minister along with eight other NCP MLAs who were inducted as ministers. Tatkare's daughter Aditi was among the ministers who took oath on Sunday.

Later, the NCP supremo issued notices to Patel and Tatkare and said their actions amount to disqualification from the primary membership of the party.

Accusing them of facilitating and spearheading defections of nine MLAs without his knowledge and consent, Pawar in his letter said ''your action of supporting Shri Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have sworn oath as ministers in violation of the party's direction and mandate amounts to anti-party activities''.

''I remove your names from the membership register of the party in view of your actions,'' Pawar said.

The party is initiating appropriate action for formal disqualification of Patel and Tatkare as MPs under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, the letter said.

It added that ''misrepresentation of association with NCP henceforth will be illegal and unlawful'' on the part of Patel and Tatkare.