Ajit Pawar clears the air on leaving state cabinet meet early: 'All is well'
Maharashtra's Ajit Pawar clarified his early departure from a cabinet meeting, asserting all is well within the Mahayuti alliance.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar tried to clear speculation about him leaving from a state cabinet meeting early, saying that all is well within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Speaking at a press conference after welcoming actor Sayaji Shinde into the NCP, Pawar sought to clear the air about potential unrest within the Mahayuti alliance.
“I had to leave early for a scheduled program in Ahmedpur, Marathwada,” Pawar explained. He assured that all cabinet decisions made in his absence had his approval.
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‘All is well in Mahayuti’: Ajit Pawar
Ajit Pawar dismissed rumors of discord within the cabinet, saying, “All is well, and speculation about any dispute is baseless.”
His early exit raised eyebrows, particularly since many important financial decisions were made after he left, even though he is the finance minister.
Pawar added that the state cabinet can override objections from any department, including his finance department, regarding populist schemes announced before the upcoming assembly elections.
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Who will be Mahayuti candidate from Baramati?
NCP chief said that discussions on seat-sharing among the Mahayuti alliance partners are going smoothly and added, “We will announce the outcome when we feel ready.”
When asked about contesting from Baramati, he did not provide a clear answer, “Seat-sharing is yet to be done. We will decide after the Baramati seat is allotted to us.”
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Notably, Pawar’s wife, Sunetra, was defeated by his estranged cousin Supriya Sule in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat earlier this year.
Pawar announced that Sayaji Shinde would be the NCP's star campaigner in the elections and indicated that more people would join the party in phases.