Adding to NCP's turmoil is the fact that the internal dissension, which was very much visible before distribution of tickets for Lok Sabha seats, seems to have further sharpened. Leaders like Azam Pansare, who was outplayed in Maval constituency, Vilas Lande, who was thrashed in Shirur constituency and MLC Laxman Jagtap, who failed to get nomination despite his apparent all-out efforts, still don't see eye to eye.

Lande, who was going around the town with a big smile during elections, is hardly seen smiling these days. Jagtap, who had organised one of the biggest birthday parties the town had ever seen by a politician, is maintaining a studied silence. And Pansare simply seems to have disappeared from Pimpri-Chinchwad's social and political life. Pansare, city unit president who is expected to lead the party during PCMC general body meetings and decide civic policies, has remained away from last three meetings. He did not even attend the inauguration of the new general body meeting hall of the PCMC last week where Ajit Pawar, NCP boss in Pimpri-Chinchwad, was present.

Pansare was last seen immediately after elections at a meeting where he blamed party leaders for working against him and ensuring his down fall. "Such party leaders will be taught a lesson," he said. After the meeting, Pansare has excused himself with party meetings and public functions. His close aides say Pansare is still in shock and is seething at "certain" party leaders who put in their might to defeat him. "It's a big loss of face for Pansare. First, he had lost in the state assembly elections. And now the crushing Lok Sabha defeat. Things couldn't have been worse for Pansare as he had put in everything to get party nomination," said a senior NCP leader. Congress leader Babu Nair said Pansare is a "sincere and hard-working" NCP leader. "He might not be an articulate person, but he has good organisational skills," Nair said.

When contacted, Vilas Lande said the party is recovering from the shock of the defeats. "We are still trying to fathom as to how we could lose both the two seats. The NCP had done everything possible for citizens. The party had carried out several development works through civic bodies and the state government. Yet we came croppers," he said. Lande said the party is still instrospection mood and would come up with a proper strategy to ensure good results in the assembly elections.

Mayor Aparna Doke, who belongs to the NCP, said the party has slowly come back on the tracks after suffering the shock defeats.

"Things have started to move in the party. After the defeats, everything had come to a standstill. Now after our leader Ajit Pawar's inspiring address to party workers recently, the enthusiasm among party workers has started to return slowly," the mayor said. Doke said after elections results, she had spoken to Pansare a couple of times. "Undoubtely, he received a severe shock. That's why he was hardly seen in the public. But I am sure he will come up with a new plan to revive the party set up," she said.