Deepak Kesarkar, the NCP MLA from Sawantwadi, who quit NCP and is planning to join Shiv Sena, is determined to defeat state industrial minister Narayan Rane in the assembly elections scheduled for this October.
Kesarkar told dna that he would continue his fight against Rane and his style of functioning. "I have won half the battle by defeating his son, Nilesh Rane, in the Lok Sabha election. Now, I want to complete my mission by defeating Narayan Rane in the assembly election. My fight is not against an individual, but against the style of functioning," he added.
He said he had left the NCP as that party was not fighting against senior Congress leaders in Konkan including Rane. "I do not want to succumb to any pressure. If I remain in the NCP, I will have to work under Rane during the state polls. People have elected me, so I have to work for them by resolving their problems," Kesarkar added.
He said he had already spoken to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray about joining his party. "Some of my loyalists may join Sena soon. I will however join later, at a big rally," he said.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said remaining in a political outfit or leaving it was the choice of an individual. "During Lok Sabha elections, Kesarkar indulged in anti-party activities and helped Sena-BJP candidate win. NCP, therefore, issued him a show-cause notice. Congress is our ally, so it's our duty to work for its candidates even though we may have differences," Nawab clarified.
Kesarkar said he had already submitted his resignation letter to NCP president Sharad Pawar, and so there was no question of him being expelled from the party. "In fact, I had given NCP leadership enough time to take a decision and sought freedom to fight against Congress leaders. But they chose not to entertain me, so I quit and decided to join the Sena," Kesarkar added.
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