Goody Padwa for Nikam as civic house leader post falls into lap

Anil Bhosale quits as house leader; rumour has it that he may leave NCP too

On Gudi Padwa, luck smiled on former standing committee chairman Neelesh Nikam. It was difficult to imagine the NCP corporator getting a prominent post in the Pune Municipal Corporation house any time soon, but by a
quirk of fate he became the leader of the civic house yesterday.

Nikam has Anil Bhosale's decision to resign from the post to thank for this windfall.

Bhosale bitter
Bhosale was the leading contestant in the legislative council election for the party. But instead, NCP chief Vandana Chavan's name came up at the last minute and she was elected unopposed. A disappointed Bhosale resigned as leader ofu00a0 the house.

In his one-line resignation, Bhosale stated, "I am submitting my resignation and will remain NCP member in the house."

Congress beckons?
But there is a strong rumour that Bhosale will quit the party and join the Congress in a few days. NCP corporator Datta Dhankawade, a Bhosale supporter expressed his wish to solve the issue amicably and hoped that the post of leader of the house should remain with Bhosale.

Ankush Kakade, a senior NCP spokesman welcomed the decision of Ajit Pawar accepting Bhosale's resignation. He said, "We are not bothered even if he left our party." Bhosale was given the assembly ticket in 2004 when he joined the NCP.

Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal said efforts to convince Bhosale to take back his resignation were futile. "Our party is strong enough and there will be no division after the new leader of the house has been elected," he claimed.