Amid speculation of further split in NCP, Cabinet expansion likely next week

Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil refuted the speculations of him joining the rebel group led by Ajit Pawar

Amid speculations of further split in the Nationalist Congress Party, the next cabinet expansion of the coalition government in Maharashtra is likely to take place next week. The issue was discussed in a meeting held between Union home minister Amit Shah, chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on Sunday morning, people familiar with the matter said.

Union home minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar in Pune on Sunday. (ANI)

The meeting that lasted for an hour was held in Pune where Shah had come to launch the digital portal of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office. It assumes political significance in the backdrop of speculations about Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil joining the rebel group led by Ajit Pawar. Patil, however, refuted the speculations and said that he is with NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

There were also rumours that he had met the Union home minister in Pune. However, he clarified that he had been in Mumbai and had met Pawar twice — Saturday evening and Sunday morning — at the latter’s residence, Silver Oak.

Shah arrived in Pune on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, there was a meeting between Shah, Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit where they discussed the next Cabinet expansion and efforts to improve the image of the coalition government, people familiar with the matter said.

In the late evening too, they along with key Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders took stock of the political scenario in the state and discussed the preparations for the forthcoming local body and general elections and the alliance’s target of winning 45 Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra.

Speculations were rife that Jayant Patil, who is also heading the legislative unit of the NCP joining Ajit, who has been his rival in the NCP for years. There were also speculations that Patil also had a secret meeting with the Union home minister.

The state NCP chief said that attempts are on to create misunderstanding against him deliberately. “Who told you this? You should ask those who are saying all this. Yesterday I attended the INDIA coalition meeting, last evening and this morning I was there at Pawar saheb’s residence. have not met anyone,” he said.

Patil then said that he met senior NCP MLAs such as Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Sunil Bhusara and Prajakt Tanpure at his residence till late Saturday night. “I do not have Aladdin’s magic lamp to travel everywhere in such a short span of time… I am not being pressurised, have not received any offer or spoken to anyone. I want to request you to stop creating misunderstandings about me. It is not right,” Patil told reporters outside his residence at Peddar Road.

Speculations have been rife about Patil ever since he was seen joking and hugging Sunil Tatkare, state president of Ajit-led NCP faction in the legislature premises. Except the initial few days after the split on July 2, there is a conspicuous silence in the NCP as both the factions have stopped targeting each other since Ajit met Pawar thrice.

This is despite most NCP MLAs and senior leaders have sided with Ajit, who not only joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government but have made a claim on NCP’s name and election symbol before the election commission. Moreover, neither Pawar nor any other NCP leader has attacked Ajit in the last more than a month.

Former minister and NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad claimed that attempts are on to create confusion among all the NCP leaders. “We don’t see it fair to come to clarify every time when such stories are planted.”

He also said that he will remain loyal to Pawar and his ideology till his last breath.

On Sunday evening, Fadnavis too denied any meeting between Shah and Patil. “Jayant Patil did not meet Amit Shah. I request people to maintain some level and do not publish stories without confirmation,” he said.