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By Ritvick Arun Bhalekar: Speculation that senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar and a group of MLAs loyal to him might align with the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party in Maharashtra has not gone down well with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said that they will only welcome Ajit Pawar if he leaves the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to join the BJP -Shiv Sena ruling alliance.
Shirsat further made it clear that Shiv Sena will not continue to be part of the state government if Ajit Pawar comes with his party NCP as third partner of the alliance.
“Our policy is clear about it. The NCP is a party which betrays. We will not be with the NCP even in power. If the BJP takes NCP with them, Maharashtra will not like it. We decided to move out (of the earlier undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray) because people didn’t like us going with the Congress and NCP,” he said.
The development follows even as Ajit Pawar on Tuesday dismissed reports about any rift in the Nationalist Congress Party and his joining hands with the BJP. The senior NCP leader clarified that he would work for his party till he is alive.
A day later, Shiv Sena leader Shirsat said that Ajit Pawar would be welcome only if he leaves the NCP.
“We left the Congress-NCP (which were part of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government) because we didn’t want to be with them. Ajit Pawar doesn’t have a free hand there. Therefore, if he leaves the NCP, we will welcome him. If he comes along with along with a group of NCP (leaders), we will not be in the government,” the Shiv Sena leader said.
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