Last Updated: July 17, 2023, 16:54 IST
Ajit Pawar paid a surprise visit to Sharad Pawar. (File Images: PTI)
Senior party leader Praful Patel said that the meeting with Sharad Pawar was to convince him to keep NCP united. This comes a day after Ajit Pawar made a surprise visit to his uncle on Sunday
A day after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar met his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, the rebels once again on Monday held a meeting with the party patriarch in which he listened carefully but “did not say anything.”
Senior party leader Praful Patel, who rebelled with Ajit Pawar to join the ruling BJP in Maharashtra said that the meeting with Sharad Pawar was to convince him to keep NCP united.
“Today, Ajit Pawar, Sunil Tatkare and I met Sharad Pawar at YB Chavan Centre. We again requested him to keep NCP united, and he listened to us but did not say anything on it,” Patel told reporters.
Patel also informed that he along with Ajit Pawar will be going to Delhi to attend the mega meeting of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) where nearly 30 parties are expected to reaffirm their support for BJP.
“Ajit Pawar and I will be present at the NDA meeting in Delhi tomorrow,” he said.
Ajit Pawar’s surprise visit on Sunday
This comes a day after Pawar made a surprise visit to Sharad Pawar along with his Group’s Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, Aditi Tatkare, Hasan Mashrif and others.
“Today we met our God and our leader Sharad Pawar to take his blessings,” Praful Patel said as the rebels emerged from the meeting. We came here without asking for an appointment. We understood Sharad Pawar reached here for a meeting and that’s why we all came here to take his blessings,” Praful Patel quoted NDTV as saying.
Deputy CM Pawar, along with 31 NCP MLAs revolted against his uncle Sharad Pawar and became part of the BJP government in the state.
Patel, who was a long-time confidante of the NCP chief, said he also requested Sharad Pawar that all of them respect him a lot but NCP should be together.
NDA meet on Tuesday
A day after 26 opposition parties met in Bengaluru, the BJP is organisaing a mega meet in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The NDA meeting will be chaired by BJP President JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Several new allies of the BJP, such as Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar, various smaller parties from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and regional parties from northeastern states, are anticipated to participate in the NDA meeting.
This marks the first instance during the second term of the Modi government that an NDA meeting of this magnitude is being held, following the departure of several longstanding and significant BJP allies. Alliances with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal, and Janata Dal (United) have been severed due to a range of contentious issues.
