Eknath Shinde on Ajit Pawar, says parties split when meritorious workers are sidelined

Amid the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) crisis in Maharashtra, chief minister Eknath Shinde said Parties split when hard-working workers are neglected, he said while commenting on Ajit Pawar's rebellion against his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Such things happen when meritorious party workers are sidelined. Ajit Pawar has himself said that it was Sharad Pawar who had wanted an alliance with the BJP in the past in 2017, 2019 but did a U-turn later, Shinde said in a interview

He also pointed out that Sharad Pawar himself had rebelled against then chief minister Vasantdada Patil (in 1978) and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi (in 1999). Dismissing speculation that he was about to be replaced as chief minister, Shinde said these were baseless rumours which cause him no tension, and the higher ups will take appropriate decision.

In a surprise move on July 2nd  NCP leader Ajit Pawar who was also the Maharashtra Leader of Opposition joined the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra and took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister. The move by NCP chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, which also saw eight other NCP MLAs joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government, came amid efforts by opposition parties to forge unity to take on the BJP in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.