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.

... contd.