Even though local party leaders and even the rank and file had strong resentment against Kalmadi, the political compulsions before the party leadership seem to have forced it to overrule the sentiments. It was only on Friday that almost all the local leaders had strongly opposed Kalmadi's readmission to the party.

Pune City District Congress Committee president Mohan Joshi welcomed Kalmadi's homecoming saying that Kalmadi had expressed faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. He appealed all the Congress leaders, who had deserted the party, to return to the Congress. Joshi said the party would emerge strong with Kalmadi's return and expressed confidence that party would win Pune Lok Sabha seat. Joshi said Congress would also be in majority in the municipal corporation.

Sharad Pawar, one-time politicalmentor of Kalmadi, received the message of Kalmadi's return to Congress on his cell phone when he was in a meeting with his supporters at Hotel Kapila. Pawar sought to underestimate the political development saying that it showed in which direction the coterie wanted to run the party. He said Kalmadi was not expelled from the party but he himself quit when he came to know that Kesari would not nominate him for the Lok Sabha election.

Meanwhile, all the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi corporators welcomed Kalmadi's decision to return to the party. Kalmadi was under heavy pressure from his supporters in the recent past. Several corporators had even warned him that they would join Congress if he did not take the decision before the Lok Sabha election.