NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday sacked party's working president Praful Patel and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare, who have sided with Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar in his rebellion, for engaging in "anti-party” activities.

The action comes a day after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government as deputy chief minister along with eight other NCP MLAs who were inducted as ministers. Tatkare's daughter Aditi was among the ministers who took oath on Sunday.

Sharad Pawar, in a tweet, said, "I, as the National President, of Nationalist Congress Party hereby order the removal of the names of Shri Sunil Tatkare and Shri Praful Patel from the Register of Members of NCP Party for anti-party activities.” He tagged Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP who was appointed as NCP working president last month, and Tatkare in his tweet.

Later, the NCP supremo issued notices to Patel and Tatkare and said their actions amount to disqualification from the primary membership of the party.

Accusing them of facilitating and spearheading defections of nine MLAs without his knowledge and consent, Pawar in his letter said "your action of supporting Shri Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have sworn oath as ministers in violation of the party's direction and mandate amounts to anti-party activities".

"I remove your names from the membership register of the party in view of your actions," Pawar said.

The party is initiating appropriate action for formal disqualification of Patel and Tatkare as MPs under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, the letter said.

It added that "misrepresentation of association with NCP henceforth will be illegal and unlawful" on the part of Patel and Tatkare.

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