Pune: Deepak Mankar, the city president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has received a wave of support as 250 more office-bearers resigned on Thursday (October 16), expressing dissatisfaction over his exclusion from the nomination for the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) seat.

This brings the total number of resignations from various party posts to 850, and the count may rise further by Saturday (October 19).

Party members had advocated for Mankar’s nomination to the Legislative Council seat, which is appointed by the Governor, representing Pune. They appealed to the NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, but Mankar’s candidacy was ultimately ignored.

In response, 600 office-bearers initially submitted mass resignations, expressing their discontent. On Thursday, an additional 250 members followed suit, and another 750 members are expected to resign during a scheduled party meeting on Saturday.

Addressing the matter, Mankar commented, "After the party's split, we worked with renewed determination to rebuild the party and the organization. Our executive committee consists of 1,600 members, and we organized thousands of events to connect with the general public.

Despite these efforts, party workers are disappointed that I was not given an opportunity. The party needs to recognize that by empowering me, they are also empowering the workers, something they seem to have forgotten."

After months of delay, the much-anticipated appointment of Legislative Council members nominated by the Governor was finalized today (October 15), with Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe administering the oath of office to seven newly appointed members.