A day after the vertical split in his party, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on July 3 announced the expulsion of MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for their “anti-party activities”.
Both, Mr. Patel and Mr. Tatkare, once trusted lieutenants of the Maratha strongman, have sided with the newly sworn-in Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, in his rebellion.
The action comes after the party’s national president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule recommended disciplinary action against the two MPs for “indulging in anti-party activities by facilitating and spearheading” Sunday’s swearing-in of nine NCP MLAs, including Mr. Ajit Pawar, as State Cabinet Ministers in the Eknath Shinde government. Mr. Tatkare’s daughter, Aditi Sunil Tatkare, was among the Ministers who took oath.