Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party will not have any representation in the Union Cabinet, party leader Praful Patel informed on Sunday, just hours before the new cabinet under PM Modi takes oath.
Patel stated that the party was offered a Minister of State (MoS) position. However, since he has previously served as a Cabinet Minister, it would be a demotion for him.
"...Last night we were informed that our party will get a Minister of State with independent charge...I was earlier a Cabinet Minister in the Union Government, so this will be a demotion for me. We have informed the BJP leadership, and they have already told us to just wait for a few days, they will take remedial measures..." Praful Patel told reporters in the national capital.
Party Chief Ajit Pawar echoed similar sentiments. "Praful Patel has served as a cabinet minister in the central government and we did not feel right in taking Minister of State with independent charge. So we told them (BJP) that we are ready to wait for a few days, but we want a cabinet ministry. We are going to attend the swearing-in ceremony today," Pawar said.
"We have one Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha MP today, but in the next 2-3 months we will have a total of 3 members in the Rajya Sabha and our number of MPs in Parliament will be 4. So we said we should be given one (cabinet ministry) seat," he added.
Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel were the main candidates from the NCP, with significant discussions around Praful Patel's name. Although Patel's name was confirmed by NCP leaders in a meeting held in Delhi, several Maharashtra leaders received calls, but none from the NCP.
The NCP's participation in the cabinet remains unresolved due to the difficulties in appointing senior leaders to ministerial positions. There is a risk of dissatisfaction among other coalition partners if the NCP is given a cabinet position, especially since there are seven parties with only one elected MP each across the country.