Recently, there has been speculation that Ajit Pawar and a number of his loyalists may join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Digital Desk: Why 2024, even now I aspire to become the chief minister, said
senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Friday. Ajit
Pawar's comment was in response to a question about whether he planned to run
for the top job in the Maharashtra Assembly election in 2024.
"Why 2024? I aspire to be the Chief Minister even now,"
Ajit Pawar told a Marathi publication.
This comes amid
speculations of a schism inside the NCP, as well as uncertainty over Ajit
Pawar's next political move.
"We used to discuss secularism and progressivism. But in
2019, the Congress and the NCP merged with Shiv Sena to create a government,
(and) as Shiv Sena is a hindutva party, we turned away from secularism,"
Ajit Pawar said of the MVA coalition.
Maharashtra saw political
unrest last year, with the Eknath Shinde-led insurrection toppling the state's
Maha Vikas Aghadi government. To create a government in the state, Eknath
Shinde's Sena joined forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Recently,
there has been speculation that Ajit Pawar and a number of his loyalists may
join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ajit
Pawar, on the other hand, has denied all such rumours. He denied allegations of
a schism in the Nationalist Congress Party and his joining up with the BJP.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar cancelled his attendance
at an NCP gathering in Mumbai, citing prior commitments. Ajit Pawar stated that
he was unable to attend the NCP meeting because he needed to be there for other
programmes that were taking place at the same time. The NCP also stated that
Ajit Pawar's inability to attend the party meeting does not indicate that he
intends to leave the organization.
BJP SAYS MVA
LEADERS QUESTIONING PAWAR'S CREDIBILITY
On
Friday, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule accused Maha Vikas
Aghadi leaders of slandering Ajit Pawar and calling his reputation into doubt.
Ajit Pawar, according to Bawankule, had not met him in the recent three months,
nor had he met top leaders of the ruling party.
"The MVA leaders
are slandering Ajit Pawar. They are calling Pawar's credibility into doubt.
"From the early morning swearing in (when Pawar broke ranks and allied
with Devendra Fadnavis in 2019) until now, questions about his life, stand, and
work have been raised," Bawankule told reporters on Friday.
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