Ajit Pawar Seen With Sena, BJP Leaders; NCP Leader Says No Threat to Maha Govt Amid Buzz Over His Next Move

With politics in Maharashtra once again on intense churn, ahead of Supreme Court’s verdict on the Sena vs Sena crisis, speculations of back-door talks between the state’s BJP-led ruling coalition and Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar are once again abuzz in political corridors.

Pawar on Thursday gave fuel to the fire after he said there is no threat to the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government as the top court’s verdict on Uddhav versus Shinde case was awaited.

“Many call this government unconstitutional. But as long as they have the support of 145 MLAs, there is no danger,” he said according to a report by Hindustan Times.

This comes a day after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s nephew and his political heir apparent, Ajit Pawar, was seen with the top leaders of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Eknath-Shinde-led Shiv Sena fraction.

Pawar shared the stage with CM Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis at a mass wedding ceremony in Latur yesterday, amid a buzz over the NCP leader’s next move before the top court is set to decide on last year’s Shiv Sena mutiny.

Twenty-five couples, including the son of BJP MLA Abhimanyu Pawar, tied the nuptial knot at a mass wedding ceremony in Maharashtra’s Latur district.

Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in Vidhan Parishad, and some MLAs of Uddhav Thackeray camp were also present during the ceremony.

A few days back, speculation was rife that Ajit Pawar is in talks with the BJP and that around 40 MLAs have extended support to him. His absence from a key party meeting and posters calling him the state’s future Chief Minister also led to a buzz that he may split his uncle’s party.

The party and Ajit Pawar both, however, denied the speculation as rumours.

Reports of the purported back-door talks between the BJP and the NCP also led to a buzz of unease in the Eknath Shinde faction.

If the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Thackeray camp and disqualifies the MLAs who revolted against the ruling coalition from the assembly today, then Sginde may lose his job as Chief Minister, posing questions over who may get the top post in the Maharashtra government next.

In the case of Shinde’s disqualification, a fresh government has to be formed. Maharashtra BJP has claimed the current ruling coalition with Shinde’s faction has the support of over 184 MLAs to prove a majority in the 288-member assembly.

In another political development, Pawar is reportedly being dropped from the Enforcement Directorate chargesheet in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam of 2019 and former minister Anil Parab is not being named in the agency’s chargesheet into the Dapoli resort case.