NCP councillor from Baramati municipal council expelled from party for making controversial statement about Ajit Pawar

Pune: NCP state president Sunil Tatkare on Monday expelled a councillor from Baramati municipal council for allegedly making a controversial statement regarding Ajit Pawar.Councillor Kishor Masal was considered to be closely associated with Ajit Pawar. He was elected unopposed to the Baramati municipal council polls on NCP ticket. However, he was expelled from the party on Monday after a purported audio clip of a phone call surfaced on social media, where Masal allegedly made a controversial remark about Ajit Pawar while speaking to an unidentified woman. Shortly after, Masal was criticised for his statement against the late politician. NCP (SP) working president and Ajit Pawar’s cousin Supriya Sule also criticised Masal for his statement. After receiving criticism, Masal initially tendered an apology, but later he claimed that the voice in the audio clip was not his.However, Tatkare, while interacting with the media in Mumbai on Monday, said the party has taken serious cognisance of Masal’s statement and he has been expelled from the party with immediate effect.