Maha deputy CM Ajit Pawar to meet PM Modi on July 18

Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, stated that when he meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 18, they will discuss issues that farmers in the state are facing.

Ajit Pawar said, I will meet PM Narendra Modi on July 18. During the meeting, I will raise various issues related to the farmers with him. Praful Patel and I will attend the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting.

Pawar, who was appointed to the important Finance and Planning portfolio in the Maharashtra cabinet on Friday, expressed his satisfaction with the appointment along with other Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde-led administration on July 2.

The rebel NCP leader maintained he had no idea about Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut's claims that Eknath Shinde might lose the chief minister's post since his faction of the Shiv Sena was unwilling to part with the finance portfolio. I don't know. This is an attempt to disturb the atmosphere unnecessarily. We are happy with the portfolio allocations, said Pawar.

There are now 28 cabinet ministers in the Shinde-led Maharashtra government but no ministers of state. The ministry can have 43 members at the most. There was speculation that the state ministry expansion would happen on Friday when portfolios were allocated, but it did not.

There will be equitable progress in the state and there will be no differences. There are many communities and castes in the state. We will take everyone along. In Mahayuti (grand alliance), we will work in tandem and efforts will be made for the development of all, he said. When pointed out that NCP founder Sharad Pawar's pictures were missing from the posters put up in Nashik to welcome him, Ajit Pawar said, "Pawar saheb is our inspiration, our idol. His photograph is there in my cabin.