BJP has told Ajit Pawar to win Sharad Pawar’s support if rebel NCP leader wants to be Maharashtra CM: Congress 

Maharashtra Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar alleged that PM Modi had laid a condition before rebel NCP leader Ajit Pawar that he could be made CM of the State only if his uncle, Sharad Pawar, came over to the side of the NDA

Maharashtra Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on August 16 alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid a condition before rebel Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar that he could be made Chief Minister of the State only if his uncle, Sharad Pawar, came over to the side of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Mr. Wadettiwar was speaking on the reportedly “secret” meeting between Mr. Sharad Pawar and his nephew Mr. Ajit Pawar in Pune, where the duo met on August 13 at businessman Atul Chordia’s residence. While Mr. Ajit Pawar has denied the meeting was clandestine, Pawar senior has clarified his NCP faction would never ally with the BJP despite his nephew aligning with the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena government in the State.  

“It is believed that PM Narendra Modi has made this condition to Ajit Pawar that he can be the CM only if Sharad Pawar comes over to the NDA. Else, his [Ajit Pawar’s] dreams of being the CM will only remain a dream. Hence, it is possible that Ajit Pawar is repeatedly meeting his uncle in a bid to win him over to his side,” Mr. Wadettiwar said.

The Congress leader further alleged that even after splitting two parties — the NCP and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena — the BJP still felt the need to have a tall leader like Sharad Pawar with mass appeal on its side.

Mr. Sharad Pawar’s meetings with his nephew — the duo have met at least four times — despite Ajit Pawar splitting the NCP on July 2 to align with the ruling BJP-Eknath Shinde government has prompted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena and the Congress to suspect that Pawar senior’s faction may ally with the BJP in the future despite Mr. Sharad Pawar’s denials of this.

When asked whether the repeated meetings had an impact on the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faction, Mr. Wadettiwar said he hoped Mr. Sharad Pawar would definitively clear the air over the matter.  

The Congress leader’s statement was met with derision from leaders of both the rival NCP factions.