Sharad Pawar to hold district-wise meets with local NCP leaders to identify candidates for Maharashtra Assembly polls

Mumbai: NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) chief Sharad Pawar will hold district-wise meetings with the party’s local leaders starting 13 June to identify potential candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, sources said on Tuesday. According to a party statement, state NCP president Jayant Patil, senior leaders of the party like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar and others will also attend the meetings, which will be held on 14 June, 15 June, 21 June, and 23 June too. [caption id=“attachment_5332041” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Reuters[/caption] The NCP has invited its sitting and former MLAs and MPs, state office-bearers, mayors and ex-mayors and others holding party positions. The NCP had won 41 seats in the 2014 Assembly polls, while it won five seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, including four from Maharashtra. “In the meetings, the NCP president will seek opinions and identify probable candidates for the Assembly polls,” a party insider said. The leader said the party may get 144 seats as its share out of the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra as part of the understanding with the Congress. From the seats in its quota, it is likely to give around 20 segments to other allies. “We have 41 sitting MLAs. The party may field young faces on another 40 seats. Pawar has already talked about giving an opportunity to the young generation,” the leader added. On 13 June, Pawar will meet party representatives from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Mira- Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Palghar, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Ulhasnagar and Ratnagiri districts. A day later, he will hold parleys with leaders from Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Malegaon, Nandurbar and Ahmednagar. Pawar will speak to local leaders from Satara, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kolhapur, Solapur and Sangli on 15 June. On 21 June, the NCP president will hold discussions with party men from Vidarbha region covering Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur and Bhandara-Gondia. He is scheduled to meet functionaries from Aurangabad, Parbhani, Jalna, Hingoli, Beed, Nanded, Latur and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada on 23 June.