How many NCP MLAs are with Ajit Pawar?

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, while speaking to the media hours after CM Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit were sworn in, said 11 MLAs were with the latter. Of the 11, the NCP chief paraded three of them at the press conference, stating they had been “misled” and taken to Raj Bhavan.

Even as Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, on Saturday, allowed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar extended support to him, it is not yet clear exactly how many NCP MLAs are with the latter.

It is not yet clear exactly how many NCP MLAs are with Ajit Pawar. (PTI)

Ajit did not speak to the media on Saturday, apart from talking to news agency ANI immediately after he was sworn in as the deputy chief minister (CM) at Raj Bhavan. None of his aides or supporting MLAs came forward to say how many legislators were with him. NCP has 54 MLAs in total. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, while speaking to the media hours after CM Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit were sworn in, said 11 MLAs were with the latter. Of the 11, the NCP chief paraded three of them at the press conference, stating they had been “misled” and taken to Raj Bhavan.

After the legislators’ meeting in the evening at YB Chavan Centre in south Mumbai, NCP’s state unit chief, Jayant Patil, said only five MLAs were not in touch with them. “We had 42 MLAs in the meeting today. Seven others got in touch with us and said they were on their way to Mumbai,” Patil said. BJP leaders, however, cited different numbers, with senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar claiming that the “entire NCP” was with BJP. “We have the support of all 54 MLAs of NCP as the party group leader Ajit Pawar has joined us. We have submitted this letter of support to the Governor,” he said. A senior BJP leader said the party expects around 25 to 29 NCP legislators to go along with Ajit and back it in the floor test. “We won’t be surprised if entire NCP supports us eventually. But Ajit Pawar is competent enough to get 25 to 29 MLAs with him,” Mungantiwar said.

Meanwhile, Sandeep Kshirsagar, one of the MLAs who was at Raj Bhavan with Ajit on Saturday morning, but later returned to the party, said: “I am with senior Pawarsaheb as he believed in me and gave me the election ticket.” Kshirsagar said that late on Friday, they received a message from Ajit, stating they have to meet early on Saturday. “We thought Ajitdada wanted to discuss the formation of the new government with us,” he said.

Early on Saturday, a group of MLAs who Ajit had called, including Balasaheb Patil, Sunil Tingre, Rajendra Shingane, Sunil Shelke, Dilip Bankar and Kshirsagar, among others, gathered at the residence of party leader Dhananjay Munde. “We were taken to Raj Bhavan. When we reached, we came to know what was going on. We couldn’t do anything in front of the Governor. As soon as we left the hall, we called our senior party leaders and told them what had happened,” Kshirsagar said.