Amid the speculation that NCP leader Ajit Pawar may again quit the party to join the BJP, the former deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday said that he will pay attention to his uncle Sharad Pawar just as Raj Thackeray followed Bal Thackeray. Raj Thackeray fell out with his uncle, Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, in 2006 to float his own party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
Ajit Pawar's comment came in response to Raj Thackeray's "advice" to him that he should devote his uncle the same kind of attention he pays outside. Raj Thackeray made the remark in an interview conducted by Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reported news agency PTI.
"The way Raj Thackeray paid attention to his own uncle, I will also pay attention to my uncle," Uddhav Thackeray was quoted as saying by PTI.
The remark further fuelled speculation that Ajit Pawar was looking to quit the NCP again to join the BJP. However, Pawar has been rubbishing such speculations. Last week, the NCP leader skipped an NCP convention in Mumbai. His name was also not on the party's list of star campaigners for the Karnataka polls.
Pawar had earlier rebelled against his uncle's party in 2019 when he quit as an NCP MLA and extended support to the BJP while taking oath as the deputy CM. The speculation of him rebelling became stronger last week when he said that he was ready to become the CM of Maharashtra. Pawar, who is also the leader of the opposition in the assembly, said he would like to become the CM for “100 percent”. "Why 2024, we are ready to stake a claim for the CM position now also,” he said.
On Wednesday, the speculations went up a notch higher when banners proclaiming him to be the next CM came up