Ajit Pawar News Updates: Fadnavis, Shinde Hold Key Meet Over Power-sharing, Cabinet Expansion Likely on Sunday

Ajit Pawar News LIVE: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a crucial meeting over power sharing in the state government on Friday. The state cabinet expansion, following entry of second deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and eight NCP MLAs, will likely take place on July 9, Sunday, according to CNN-News18 reports.

NCP leader (Ajit Pawar camp) Praful Patel, addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Friday said, “there is no split in the party. Patel, a former key aide of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, said majority of the party leaders is backing Ajit Pawar. “We have reported this to the Election Commission”, he said. Meanwhile, Both Patel and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar will attend the NDA meeting scheduled to take place on July 18.

Patel has claimed that “attempts are being made to mislead with rumors,” and added that the Maharashtra deputy chief minister is the party’s “appointed leader of NCP.” “A unanimous resolution has been passed in the NCP meeting,” he said.

Patel also targeted the meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party Working Committee that was chaired by Sharad Pawar on Thursday and said the meeting held in Delhi was “not an official NCP event and does not have legal sanctity.”

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) state unit chief Jayant Patil expelled Pradeep Gartkar from party membership and post of Pune Rural District President for attending the swearing-in ceremony of Ajit Pawar and party MLAs joining the Maharashtra government on July 2.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his residence.

Shinde had held an hour long meeting with his deputy Devendra Fadnavis at the CM’s Nandanvan late last night. The meeting came amid rumblings in Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction over the entry of Ajit Pawar as deputy CM and 8 NCP MLAs in the Maharashtra government.

Taking a swipe at the situation, NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that MLAs are worried that now they “cannot take high moral ground after induction of Ajit Pawar”. “I wonder what will happen if finance and planning portfolio goes to dada,” he added.

Even as sources claimed that the “unrest ended” after the Shiv Sena MLAs were “explained why changed in the coalition were necessary”, the disquiet within the CM’s camp reportedly grew on Thursday.

According to a report in Times of India, independent MLA Bachchu Kadu, who had been among the earliest to support Shinde’s rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray last year, said the 40 Sena MLAs who supported the revolt were now feeling that it was all a mistake and added that Pawar’s entry would pose problems.

The report further stated that two Sena MLAs, Bharat Gogawale and Mahendra Thorve from Raigad district, made it clear they would not accept it if NCP minister Aditi Tatkare were made guardian minister of the district.

“Earlier, in the MVA, Ajit Pawar had created problems. He will do the same again, including keeping funds away from us. He will create hindrances in decisions that we want,” Kadu was quoted as saying. The independent MLA Bachchu was a minister in the earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi government but joined Shinde’s revolt.

Kadu also lashed out at BJP and said it did not care about its allies. “BJP only wants to strengthen its own party. Those coming in can fall into a ditch or die, BJP does not think about this. It is focused on winning the Lok Sabha polls,” he was quoted as saying. He added that the Sena rebels now feel that joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party was a “mistake”.

“For the 40 MLAs who joined the (Shinde-led) rebellion, now the situation is that it was a mistake. There should be some information that is shared. Even as an ally, we don’t get any information,” Kadu said.

The report also quoted MLA Bharat Gogawale who opposed any possible appointment of NCP legislator Aditi Tatkare as guardian minister of Raigad district. “It had been decided earlier that the guardian minister would be with the Shiv Sena,” he said. MLA Mahendra Thorve was quoted as saying, “We will not accept Aditi Tatkare as guardian minister.”

‘MLAs of Shinde’s Sena in Touch with Sena (UBT)’

Amid the rumblings in CM’s camp, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday claimed that 17-18 MLAs from the rival Shiv Sena led by Shinde were in touch with his party since NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the state government. Sena minister Uday Samant countered him by claiming that six of 13 MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction were in touch with him.

“Since Ajit Pawar and other NCP leaders joined the government, 17-18 MLAs from the Shinde camp have contacted us,” Raut claimed, talking to reporters here.

Raut’s colleague and the party’s Lok Sabha MP Vinayak Raut said the Shinde faction MLAs have started “revolting” after the rebel NCP MLAs were made ministers.

Many MLAs have also said that if “Matoshree” (name of Uddhav Thackeray’s residence) approaches them, they will reply positively, he said.

“Those who wanted to become ministers but could not, or those who can lose the ministerial berth in the next cabinet expansion are in touch with us,” Vinayak Raut claimed, without disclosing any names.

Gajanan Kirtikar, MP from the Shinde-led Sena, had said on Wednesday that the induction of the rebel NCP group in the cabinet had dented the prospects of ministerial aspirants from the BJP and Shiv Sena, leaving some of them upset, and Shinde was aware of their sentiments.

Sharad Pawar Calls Up All NCP MLAs

Sources told News18 that 19 MLAs have filed affidavit with NCP and six have reached out to the party to join it. “Sharad Pawar has called up all MLAs asking them to return back. Most of them have said they will. He didn’t call nine MLAs who took oath,” a source said.

Hema Malini’s Message for Ajit Pawar

Bollywood actress and BJP MP from Mathura, Hema Malini, has wished Ajit Pawar on joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government. The actress congratulated him on becoming the deputy CM and wished him well for his tenure.

(With inputs from PTI)