Kesarkar asks NCP cadres to defeat Cong nominee Nilesh Rane

A day after resigning as the party legislator, NCP leader Deepak Kesarkar today asked his followers to ensure defeat of Nilesh Rane, the Congress nominee from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat.
"Today, more number of workers came to my meeting than (to) yesterday's rally addressed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar and chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. I asked them to defeat the Congress candidate. I did not appeal to support any particular nominee in the fray," Kesarkar told PTI from Sawantwadi.
Kesarkar said he explained to his supporters the reasons why he is against Nilesh and the latter's father and state Industries Minister Narayan Rane.

"It is impossible for me to support the terror and mockery of democracy. I have already given my resignation letter as an MLA, addressing to the Legislative Assembly Speaker and to Sharad Pawar," he said.
Kesarkar said he had not received any show cause notice from NCP. "..Instead they should accept my resignation immediately. I am ready to serve the NCP as ordinary worker and I represent the cultured and dignified common man of Konkan. It is up to the party to decide if they want me," he said.
Cracking the whip, Pawar, who was in Sawantwadi yesterday, removed the district unit president Bala Bhise for defying the party diktat to campaign for Nilesh Rane.

"If anybody thinks the organisation revolves around him then he is wrong. If an alliance is formed, one will have to work for it. The perception that whole organisation will revolve around one person will not work in the NCP," Pawar had said.

Nilesh is pitted against Shiv Sena's Vinayak Raut.
Pawar had told the gathering that action would be taken against Kesarkar for defying the party orders to campaign for Nilesh.
Pawar and nephew Ajit Pawar had tried to broker a truce but faced an embarrassment when the Sawantwadi legislator along with the local party cadres refused to campaign for Nilesh.