NCP MP Praful Patel, who alongside Ajit Pawar parted ways with the MVA and aligned with the NDA government in Maharashtra, revealed on Wednesday that Sharad Pawar had also initially agreed to join them but withdrew at the last moment.
"On 15th-16th July, we met Sharad Pawar in Mumbai and requested him to join us. Subsequently, Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar convened at a businessman's residence in Pune. He was also 50% ready (to join the government). What is happening today is opportunism," the NCP leader remarked while speaking to news agency ANI.
Looking towards the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Patel expressed confidence in Narendra Modi's leadership, stating that the national sentiment favors Modi's continued role as Prime Minister. He praised Modi's governance approach and highlighted the positive reception of government schemes in rural areas, signaling strong support for the BJP's agenda.
In June of last year, Patel attended an opposition bloc meeting in Patna along with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. However, the very next month, he walked out of the party with Ajit Pawar and six other leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, and joined the NDA. The Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP is now part of the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra, with Ajit Pawar serving as Deputy CM.
He further added that if Pawar had not hesitated, he would have become Prime Minister in 1996. "In 1996, during the Devegowda government, Congress President Sitaram Kesri withdrew his support. At that time, Devegowda himself instructed me to ask Pawar saheb to take the leadership of the Congress - 'I (Devegowda) will resign and support him'. All Congress MPs were unhappy with Sitaram Kesri, and Pawar saheb was the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party. If he had accepted that responsibility that day, Pawar saheb would have been the Prime Minister."