Deokar plans to join NCP post MVA’s defeat in assembly poll

Nashik: Former state minister and NCP (SP) politician Gulabrao Deokar has firmed up his plans to join the rival faction of NCP headed by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Deokar recently met NCP state president Sunil Tatkare in Mumbai to discuss his induction into the NCP fold."Deokar will soon meet our party chief Ajit Pawar before joining the NCP. I don't think there will be any problem on our part if he joins us," Tatkare told TOI. Shiv Sena nominee Gulabrao Patil defeated Deokar, who contested on an NCP (SP) ticket, by a margin of over 59,000 in the Jalgaon rural constituency in the recently concluded assembly election. In the 2019 assembly poll too, Patil had defeated Deokar.Deokar will be the first prominent NCP (SP) politician from North Maharashtra to quit the party after the Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) disastrous performance in the assembly election. The MVA could win just three of the 47 seats in North Maharashtra. Deokar was also among the 47 who were convicted by the local court in Dhule for involvement in the 29-crore Gharkul housing scam in Jalgaon. He was arrested by the police in 2012 and spent around three years in jail before getting bail."After the MVA debacle in the recent election, I had a meeting with my loyalists. They are of the view that it would not be prudent for me to continue to be a part of the NCP (SP). They have insisted that I join NCP since the party will be in power for the next five years. I cannot ignore the sentiments of my loyalists," Deokar said.The loyalists are of the view that with Jalgaon civic and zilla parishad polls in the offing, it would be best to contest on NCP ticket. Deokar also said that he does not apprehend any tampering of EVMs in Jalgaon rural that led to his defeat. "I don't suspect any manipulation of EVMs in Jalgaon rural during the counting of votes. I feel that Mahayuti had a significant advantage over the MVA due to the Ladki Bahin scheme that helped in wooing the women voters. Mahayuti also played the Hindutva card well to polarise the voters on communal lines. In my constituency, my opponent used money power to defeat me," said Deokar.