Former mayor and a staunch Pawar loyalist Ankush Kakade told media persons that they had formed the All India Congress (B) in the municipal corporation and had requested Mayor Datta Gaikwad to make independent sitting arrangement in the house. The letter has also requested the mayor to allot them a separate office.

Those who had signed the letter included Ulhas Dhole-Patil, Ankush Kakade, Nitin Jagtap, Rajlaxmi Bhosale, Kamal Dhole-Patil, Dilip Tupe, Nilesh Nikam, Alka Patil, Vilas Waekar, Padmaja Gole and Prabhakar Nikam.

Kakade claimed that several independent corporators including Usha Jagtap, Batul Kazi had extended their support to the newly formed group while a number of Congress corporators would also join them.

Staing that they had formed separate group to express their solidarity with Pawar, Kakade said seveal corporators including Nilesh Nikam, Kamal Dhole-Patil, Dilip Tupe and Vilas Wadekar would be lose their posts in the municipal corporation because of the newly formed party. Kakade alleged that Suresh Kalmadi, Mayor Datta Gaikwad and Chandrkant Chhajed were pressurising the corporators not to join the Pawar group.

Kakade clarified that the name of the new party would be changed in course of time after Pawar officially floats his party. He said the office of the new party would be inaugurated May 31.

The Congress will continue to enjoy majority in the house even after the split since 41 Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) corporators, including 11 corporators, would be joining the party on June 2.

In another development, party vice-president Nana Aphale, general secretary Subhash Jagtap and Noor Mohmmad Tambe and joint secretary Mohansingh Rajpal also resigned from the party.

Former Congress MLA and former mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad Dnyaneshwar Landge today came out in support of Pawar, urging party workers and corporators not to get confused. It was for the first time that Landge expressed his view about supporting Pawar since the latter was expelled from the party.