Maharashtra CM Shinde Says 'No Threat To My Post' On Ajit Pawar's Entry Into Government

Maharashtra CM Shinde dismisses any threat to his position following NCP leader Ajit Pawar's entry into the state government. He attributes party divisions to the sidelining of hard-working workers.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday (July 7) asserted confidently that the inclusion of NCP leader Ajit Pawar in the Shiv Sena-BJP government posed no threat to his position. In response to Ajit Pawar's rebellion against his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Shinde stated that party divisions occur when hardworking members are overlooked. He emphasised Ajit Pawar's own admission that Sharad Pawar had previously sought an alliance with the BJP in 2017 and 2019, only to later reverse course.

In an interview with DD News, Shinde remarked, "Such circumstances arise when deserving party workers are sidelined. Sharad Pawar himself rebelled against Vasantdada Patil, the then Chief Minister, in 1978, and against Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi in 1999."

Dismissing speculations about his potential replacement as Chief Minister, Shinde dismissed such baseless rumors, asserting that they did not cause him any "tension". He affirmed that the "higher-ups" would make an appropriate decision in due course.

Shinde emphasised the shared ideology binding the Shiv Sena, led by him, and the BJP. He stated that with the addition of a third partner, they must work together diligently to secure Narendra Modi's re-election as Prime Minister in 2024. Shinde further expressed the objective of winning more than 45 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Regarding Ajit Pawar's entry into the government, Shinde attributed it to the development track record of his administration. He remarked, "PM Modi and (Amit) Shah have appointed me as Chief Minister, and now, with Ajit Pawar joining the government, we have become stronger... A significant amount of work has been accomplished in the constituencies of our MLAs over the past year," he said during the interview. 

Earlier in the day, NCP leader Praful Patel said that the party had not disbanded, and Ajit Pawar was unanimously elected president of the party by its legislature and organisational wings on June 30. Patel told a press conference that they had submitted a petition to the Election Commission of India (ECI) with affidavits from more than 40 MLAs, informing it of Ajit Pawar's appointment and claiming ownership of the "party name and symbol". Sharad Pawar claimed that the NCP's national working committee meeting in Delhi on Thursday was not official.