The ghost of the 30-month-old alliance that the NCP struck with the saffron combine in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in April 2007 and called Pune Pattern has begun to haunt the NCP-Congress alliance. With barely three days left for filing nominations for assembly polls, many leaders of the NCP and the Congress are finding it hard to stomach the differences that were all too open till only a month ago.

The NCP had continued to hold truck with the BJP-Shiv Sena in the PMC even during the Lok Sabha polls and the rift had come to the fore in all four constituencies of the district. The NCP got a beating in Shirur and Maval while retaining its stronghold Baramati as the Congress struggled in Pune. The situation is not expected to be hugely different now.

“I have learnt that a few of our party leaders are planning to contest elections on their own as the seat sharing has not been to their liking,” city NCP chief Jaideo Gaikwad. However, he said no leader would be allowed to contest as a rebel. “If that takes place we will urge the particular member to withdraw from the fray; and if the directives are not followed they will be expelled from the party.”

A Congress leader said it was the duty of the respective party leaders to keep a check on possible rebellion. “The workers are bound to get disappointed if their leader does not get the ticket, but it is the duty of respective party to stop anti-alliance activities.”

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