Amid speculation over his next political move, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar said on Friday that his outfit could stake claim to the post of Maharashtra chief minister “even now” instead of waiting for the assembly elections to be held in 2024. Is. State.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly also told an interviewer that he would “100 per cent” like to be the chief minister of Maharashtra.
In a free-wheeling interview to Sakal Media Group at a program titled ‘Dilkhulas Dada’ in Pune, Pawar said he had heard that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, ahead of his rebellion against the Shiv Sena leadership in June 2022, was unhappy and had some going to mind.
Pawar revealed that his colleague the late RR Patil would have become chief minister in 2004 when the NCP won more assembly seats than its ally Congress, but a message came from Delhi that his party would get the deputy CM’s post.
Asked whether the NCP would stake claim for the chief minister’s post when assembly elections are held in Maharashtra next year, he remarked, “Why only 2024, we are still ready to stake claim for the chief minister’s post.” However, he did. Not to elaborate on the statement.
During the rapid fire round, the MLA from Baramati in Pune district, who has served as deputy CM several times, was asked by the interviewer if he would like to become the chief minister. To this, Pawar quickly replied, “Yes, I would 100 per cent want to be (CM).” When asked why NCP is attracted to the post of Deputy CM as the party has got that post on several occasions in the last 20 years. The veteran politician said that in 2004, the NCP and the Congress had contested the assembly elections in alliance and the NCP had won more seats.
“We got 71 seats, while the Congress won 69. Everyone including Congress thought that the CM would be from NCP. However, some decisions were taken at the highest level and a message came from Delhi that the NCP would get the post of deputy chief minister and the chief minister’s post went to the Congress.
Pawar said his colleague Patil was elected as the leader of the Sadan (Legislative Assembly), and would have become chief minister in 2004 if the top post was given to the NCP.
He said that in the subsequent assembly elections, the Congress got more seats than the NCP and naturally retained the chief minister’s post.
Asked whether he liked working with Congress chief minister Prithviraj Chavan or Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, who held the top post from November 2019 to June 2022, Pawar said he preferred working with the latter ” happily”, but working with the former was out of favor.
On Shinde’s rebellion and the subsequent split in Shiv Sena, the former deputy CM said he used to hear that Shinde, his cabinet colleague in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, was unhappy and felt something was playing out in his mind.
“We had alerted Pawar saheb (NCP president Sharad Pawar) and Thackeray was also informed about it. The BJP was trying to topple the MVA government from the very first day of its formation.
“The wife of a prominent politician later confessed that her husband used to go out in disguise and later some ministers said that Shinde and a particular leader used to meet,” Pawar said without naming anyone.
He said that during the MVA government, Thackeray had given Shinde, the then cabinet minister, complete control of Thane district, and some officers appointed by him had helped rebel Shiv Sena MLAs move out of Mumbai and reach Surat on June 20.
Pawar on Friday skipped a meeting of his party’s Mumbai unit, raising eyebrows in political circles as speculation about his next political move refused to end.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar said that he was unable to attend the NCP’s convention as he had to attend some other events that were to be held at the same time.
He stressed that not much should be read into this.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)