A day after the famous kiss-and-make-up luncheon hosted for Ajit Pawar by Suresh Kalmadi at his Pune residence, scepticism is the one sentiment that is coming through from the leadership of all political dispensations about the likely outcome of this new show of camaraderie. This, even as both the NCP and Congress are trying to put forward a brave face, saying the situation has now been salvaged.

The trouble is unrest within the alliance goes beyond the 21 constituencies of Pune and is as much a reality in almost all the 70 seats in western Maharashtra.

The MPCC spokesperson, Sanjay Dutt, admits that in the backdrop of what has happened during the ‘Pune Pattern’ days, the Lok Sabha polls and even the present election till now, there will be scepticism in many quarters about this new attempt to break the ice. “But better late than never. Dissidence is something that has affected both parties. The NCP was hurt in western Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls. The alliance is a reality. It’s now to be seen how quickly it can percolate to the constituency-level. Also, both the parties will have to crack the whip against their rebels,” he points out.

However, according to Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, the luncheon is nothing but a gimmick. “Ajit Pawar calling on Kalmadi and having lunch is a result of both the setback suffered by the NCP in the Lok Sabha polls and what is happening to it in the present elections. This alliance is going nowhere,” says Raut.

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