Pune: Deepak Mankar, Pune city president of the Nationalist Congress Party, has resigned from his position, citing dissatisfaction over the nomination process for the Governor-appointed Members of the Legislative Council (MLC).
Mankar, a long-standing political figure in Pune, expressed his concerns during a press conference, highlighting a lack of recognition for his contributions despite decades of service.
Mankar stated that he had been actively involved in political and social work for over 40 years, during which he held various important positions. In the last year and a half, he was appointed as the Pune city president of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and during his tenure, he worked to unite several leaders and party workers under the NCP's banner.
However, Mankar expressed his disappointment that his name was not included in the recent list of Governor-nominated MLCs, which he and many local party workers had expected.
"I believed that my name would be on the list, but it wasn’t. This has led to disillusionment among many workers in the city, and several of them have resigned. Following their lead, I am also stepping down from my position as city president. Nevertheless, I will continue to work as a dedicated party worker," Mankar declared.
"At the very least, Ajit Pawar should have asked for my input. I would like to know where I fell short," Mankar said, adding that he plans to meet with Ajit Pawar in the next two days to discuss the issue.
Mankar also questioned recent appointments made by Ajit Pawar, specifically pointing to Pankaj Bhujbal and Idris Ilyas Naikwadi, who were selected for the MLC positions.
"I am not aware of how much work these individuals have done for the party organization. Pankaj Bhujbal, the son of Chhagan Bhujbal, raises questions about how many positions will be concentrated within the same family. As for Naikwadi, I am unsure of his contributions," Mankar said, further questioning his own exclusion from the list.
In addition, Mankar criticized NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, accusing him of favoring certain individuals. He questioned why Tatkare acted swiftly to reinstate Rupali Chakankar as the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women’s Commission and why she holds the position of state women’s president when there are other deserving women in the party.
"The enthusiasm shown in promoting Rupali Chakankar was not extended to me," Mankar alleged.
