'Matter of sorrow': Cong spokesperson Sachin Sawant on Ajit Pawar supporting BJP

Mumbai: We feel pained to see Ajit Pawar breaking away from the NCP to support the BJP government in Maharashtra, state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons outside hotel JW Marriott where Congress MLAs have been put up, the Congress leader called Ajit's decision to support Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis' government as "a matter of great sorrow."

"It is a matter of great sorrow. People of Maharashtra were not expecting this from him. We are pained," he said.

The Congress leader requested Deputy Chief Minister Ajit, the nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, to come back to the fold of the NCP.

"We request him to come back to the NCP," Sawant said.

He termed the BJP forming the government early on Saturday as a "blot on democracy". "Their conduct is a blot on the democracy and we will keep fighting them," the Congress leader said.

Sawant refuted talks of shifting Congress MLAs to another hotel as done by the NCP.

In a surprising move, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of the state early on Saturday morning.

Ajit's move was disowned by his party, which removed him from the post of the legislative party leader.