'Triple Engine Govt' Vs 'Mockery Of Democracy': Leaders React To Ajit Pawar Joining Eknath Shinde Govt

In a major development ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, NCP leader Ajit Pawar resigned as the Leader of Opposition and joined the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra.

New Delhi: Condemning the move by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who with the support of several other MLAs, joined Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction, and was later sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Sunday, NCP spokesperson Mahesh Bharet Tapase said the party does not recognise the oath-taking ceremony and most of the leaders are with Sharad Pawar. In a major development ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar resigned as the Leader of Opposition and joined the Shinde camp.

"Principles be damned, BJP should be the last party in the country talking about ideological alliances. They are just political opportunists wanting power at any cost," Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted.

“NCP leader Ajit Pawar went with the BJP. Isn't it due to the fear of the Enforcement Directorate (ED)? People know that BJP backstabs their friends," news agency PTI quoted Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader Anand Dubey as saying.

West Bengal Congress spokesperson Kamruzzaman Choudhury termed the move as a complete “mockery of democracy and stealing of people’s mandate”.

"BJP has taken up the task of embarrassing India's democracy. Bringing down the elected governments, buying and selling (MLAs) and breaking political parties has become a tradition of the BJP," Samajwadi Party spokesperson Fakrul Hasan Chand said.

“This was bound to happen. The BJP was well aware that if elections are held today in Maharashtra, they will have the same fate as Karnataka. They had no other option left rather than to break the party (NCP). People of Maharashtra have identified the real face of the BJP, they will remove it from power in next elections," Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde addressed the media after the oath-taking ceremony and said, "He has backed us for development. We have worked for the development of the state. I welcome him as the deputy CM and congratulate all leaders who joined us. This double engine government is now triple engine."