MUMBAI: NCP (chief) Ajit Pawar on Friday brushed aside the reports of differences with chief minister Eknath Shinde saying "All is well" in the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. He also said that he will contest from Baramati in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls if the seat is allotted to his party.
There were reports about heated exchange of words between Pawar and Shinde in the state cabinet meeting on Thursday, due to which the former reportedly walked out of the meeting in a huff. According to sources, the finance ministry led by Pawar had raised objections on several schemes announced by the government ahead of Vidhan Sabha polls.
As the NCP called a ‘special press meet’ on Friday evening, rumours were rife in the political circles that Pawar may take a drastic decision of stepping out of the Mahayuti alliance.
However, Pawar poured cold water on all rumours saying there are no disputes within the Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He also denied that he quit the cabinet meeting abruptly.
“I had to leave early to attend a scheduled programme at Ahmedpur in Marathwada region. All the cabinet decisions taken yesterday have my approval,” the NCP chief said.
The state cabinet can overrule objections of any department, Pawar said, when asked about the negative remarks by the finance department headed by him on several schemes announced by the state government.
In a major announcement, Pawar also announced that he will contest from Baramati in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls if the seat is given to his party.
“The seat sharing talks are going on in the Mahayuti alliance and we will announce it (seat sharing arrangement) when it is completed. If the Baramati seat is allotted to us, we will take a decision about me contesting it," he added.
Pawar's stand of contesting the Baramati seat is in stark contrast to his earlier statement that he was no longer interested in contesting from Baramati. He had also hinted that his younger son Jay Pawar might replace him at the assembly seat.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar was defeated by his cousin and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction leader Supriya Sule from the Baramati seat with a huge margin.
Meanwhile, veteran actor Sayaji Shinde joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. He was announced a star campaigner by the party in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha polls.
‘Sayaji Shinde would be the NCP:s star campaigner in the elections. More people are slated to join us and it will happen in phases,” said Pawar.
Shinde has acted in films in several Indian languages, including Bharathi, the tamil biopic of national poet Subramania Bharathi.
Speaking on the occasion, the 65-year-old actor said, “I was impressed by Ajit Pawar's style of functioning. I interacted with Pawar when working for his favorite cause of afforestation. To work more effectively, I need to be a part of the system.”