Congress's Baba Siddique, rumoured to be NCP-bound, calls Ajit Pawar a 'workaholic'

Baba Siddique lavishes praise on Ajit Pawar, says our poor luck that he was not from our party

Updated on: Feb 2, 2024, 16:46:12 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Congress leader Baba Siddique on Friday described Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar as ‘workaholic,’ with Siddique's compliment for the latter coming at a time when it is being rumoured that he will leave his current party to join the Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Congress leader Baba Siddique with actor Shah Rukh Khan (File Photo)

“Ajit Pawar is a very workaholic person. At times, we thought it was our poor luck that he (Pawar) was not from our party. As of now, I am very much in the Congress. No one has seen the future. But I think I will stay in the Congress,” Siddique told news agency ANI after a meeting with the deputy CM.

The 3-term legislator from the Vandre West assembly constituency was accompanied by his son Zeeshan, a first-time MLA from the grand old party. Zeeshan Siddique said he was like a ‘son’ to Pawar.

'No intention to leave Congress'

“I don't know about my father, but I am with the Congress and have no intention to leave,” Zeeshan stressed.

If he departs, the exit of Baba Siddique, who is known for his lavish iftar parties that are attended by top Bollywood personalities, will follow that of ex-Union minister Milind Deora; last month, Deora shifted his loyalties from the Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit to the Shiv Sena of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde.

The Shiv Sena, Pawar-led NCP faction, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), form the state's ruling Maha Yuti coalition. The Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP faction headed by Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar, who founded the party, constitute the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition.

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