Mumbai, August 8: Sunil Tatkare, the Maharashtra state president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), stated on Friday that he has no information regarding the appointment of Prashant Kishor, leader of the Jan Suraj Party, as a strategist for the party.
He also mentioned that Deputy Chief Minister and party national president Supriya Sule has not informed him about any changes in the state leadership.
During a press conference, Tatkare remarked, “I do not wish to comment on the meeting between PK (Prashant Kishor) and Supriya Sule. I do not dwell on such matters. Today, I met our leader Supriya Sule, where I was informed about their meeting. I do not believe that any organizational or political issues were discussed in that meeting.”
He was referring to a six-hour marathon meeting involving Prashant Kishor, Supriya Sule, and her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar. In this meeting, Kishor advocated for organizational changes within the party’s state unit, including changes in state leadership.
This meeting marked the third time in two months that Kishor has met with Supriya Sule and Parth Pawar to solidify his future role as a political strategist.
However, Tatkare emphasized that he has no knowledge of Kishor being appointed as the party’s strategist and stated that he would have been informed if such an official appointment had occurred.
“I have spent over 40 years in practical politics. I am a pragmatic politician who works on the ground, among the people. I focus more on practical matters than on theory. I do not wish to comment on any strategist. At least in my constituency, I do not rely on strategists,” he added.
Tatkare noted that he has worked with experienced and senior politicians like Vasantdada Patil, A.R. Antulay, Vilasrao Deshmukh, and Sharad Pawar.
He stated, “All these leaders come from grassroots politics. I have personally toured the entire state at least eight times, taken on significant responsibilities over time, and progressed from being a local leader to where I am now. My roots matter more than any source of losing elections.”
However, he acknowledged that strategists can play a significant role in political parties. He reiterated, “But I do not think my party has hired them yet.” He also mentioned that he does not wish to comment on rumors.
When asked if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be upset about Kishor joining, considering he has previously defeated them, Tatkare responded that if Kishor is indeed appointed by their party, then the BJP’s concerns may be valid.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Dattamama Bharne claimed that Prashant Kishor is an advisor to the party and that the party will benefit from his advice in the coming days.
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