Mumbai, March 27 NCP leader Rupali Chakankar resigned as the chief of the party's Maharashtra women's wing on Friday, following criticism over her association with rape-accused "spiritual leader" Ashok Kharat.
"Following a phone discussion with (NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister) Sunetra Pawar this morning, I am tendering my resignation as the state president of the Nationalist Congress Party's women's wing," she said in a post on X.
Earlier, Chakankar had stepped down as chairman of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women after her links with Kharat came to light.
In the letter shared on the social media platform, Chakankar said that she had clarified her position on the Kharat case on the very first day, asserting that she had no direct or indirect connection with his financial dealings or alleged wrongdoings.
Her position remains clear and firm, and the truth will emerge during the investigation, Chakankar added.
The allegations being leveled against her in the media without any evidence are "painful," but the truth will ultimately prevail, she said.
Kharat, who headed a temple trust in Mirgaon in Nashik district, was arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years. A total of eight FIRs have been registered against him since then.
Chakankar was a member of the temple trust.