‘No truth…’: NCP leader Ajit Pawar dismisses talk of joining BJP after ’40 MLAs’ report

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar insisted Tuesday there is ‘no truth’ to rumours he is about to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. “I am with NCP… not going anywhere (and) nobody (has) taken signatures of any MLAs.

These are all baseless speculations,” the ex-deputy chief minister of Maharashtra told reporters. “I have not taken the signatures of any MLAs. All rumours must stop.”

Ajit Pawar also criticised the media for publishing such reports and said they had led to confusion in the NCP, which allied with what is now ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction and the Congress and was in power in Maharashtra as the Maha Vikas Aghadi government till the BJP-backed rebellion led by Sena faction leader Eknath Shinde, who then became CM.

“I want to tell them (NCP workers) … ‘don’t worry, NCP was formed under leadership of Sharad Pawar, and there have been times when we have been in power or in opposition’,” Ajit Pawar said.

Ajit Pawar’s firm denial of (a controversial) switch to the BJP comes hours after uncle and NCP boss Sharad Pawar dismissed similar speculation and said no meeting of the party’s MLAs had been called.

Sharad Pawar – a veteran politician credited with engineering the alliance between the then-united Sena, the Congress and his party – also criticised the media over reports of Ajit Pawar joining the BJP.

“… there is no importance of all these discussions. The reports have no meaning… all our colleagues are (united in working) to make the party stronger. There is no other thought in anybody’s mind.”

On Monday Ajit Pawar had dismissed as false media reports stating he had called a meeting of NCP lawmakers; a report by the New Indian Express, which Hindustan Times could not independently verify, said the nephew had gathered the support of 40 of the party’s 53 MLAs to break away from the Maha Vikas Aghadi and join hands with the BJP to further strengthen the state government.

The report also claimed Sharad Pawar had made no effort to counter Ajit Pawar’s actions, leading to frenzied speculation the wily political leader might, in fact, be on-board with the Cong-to-BJP jump.

Back in 2019 Ajit Pawar did walk out on his uncle and the MVA to join with the BJP and form – for less than three days – the Maharashtra government; he was made deputy chief minister then too. That rebellion was short-lived as several NCP lawmakers whose support he claimed – and whose support the BJP needed to make their majority bid stick – re-affirmed their loyalty to Sharad Pawar.