Maharashtra minister and former NCP member Hasan Mushrif has firmly ruled out the prospect of returning to the faction led by Sharad Pawar within the Nationalist Congress Party.
Mushrif, who had joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state with Ajit Pawar and other NCP leaders in July, currently serves as the minister for medical education and research. When questioned by reporters about the prospect of rejoining Sharad Pawar's camp, Mushrif said, “The decision has been taken. The ropes of retreat have been cut," Mushrif said, using a Marathi phrase that means `burning one's bridges.’
Meanwhile, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP continues to assert that there is no split within the party.