Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar skipped the crucial core committee meeting of the party on Friday in Mumbai. Senior NCP leaders had held a meeting in Mumbai to discuss the debacle in recently held civic bodies elections. All eyes were on Ajit Pawar, who had led party’s campaign in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The NCP has lost control of both the municipalities to the BJP. But, Mr Pawar didn’t turn for the party’s introspection meet. 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar chaired the meeting, which was attended by senior party leaders on Friday. The meeting was held to discuss the poll debacle. The party has lost power in five municipalities and suffered a humiliating defeat in six zilla parishads (ZP). In 2012, the NCP had bagged highest number of zilla parshid seats, but now it has been decimated in the local body polls. 

In 2012, the party fought election under the leadership of then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. But this time, the NCP wasn’t even able to win in its bastion of Pimpri-Chinchwad. After the poll debacle, Ajit Pawar has not appeared in public. Mr Pawar’s absence had fuelled reports of him avoiding party functionaries after the poll debacle. 

The senior leaders discussed the party’s defeat and infighting at local level. The top leaders claimed that party failed to consolidate secular votes.