Maha BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule says he is not aware of Ajit Pawar joining party

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that he is not aware of any such move of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar joining the BJP, while adding that the leader has not had discussions with him on the matter.

Speculations were rife about Ajit Pawar joining the BJP after his seemingly pro-BJP remarks lately in which he hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and also said that he has full faith in the Electronic Voting Machines. The remark marked a departure from the Opposition's line, casting aspersions on the efficacy of the EVMs.

Backing the EVM, Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition in the Assembly said if the devices were faulty, there would not be any Opposition-ruled states. He cited the governments of West Bengal and Telangana and other states as examples to support his argument.

Personally, I have full faith in EVMs. If the EVMs were faulty, then we would not have any Opposition-led governments like in Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It is not possible to manipulate EVMs as there are lots of checks and balances involved to ensure their efficacy, said Ajit Pawar.