‘Would Have Brought Entire Party Along’: NCP Leader Ajit Pawar Comments At CM Eknath Shinde’s Book Launch

Mumbai: My pursuit of power always stopped at the post of deputy CM was the comment made by Ajit Pawar soon after his rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar, making his ambition for the top post an issue of debate thereafter.

The thoughts around more and more power refuses to die down and it was amply evident when the deputy CM was speaking at the launch of Yoddha Karmayogi – Eknath Sambhaji Shinde, a biography of the current chief minister, on Wednesday.

He would have brought the entire Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with him had the BJP and Shiv Sena offered him the chief minister’s post, said Pawar throwing the auditorium into peals of laughter.

“All went ahead and I trailed behind,” Ajit Pawar said, noting that Fadnavis first became an MLA in 1999 and Shinde in 2004, while he first became a member of the state assembly way back in 1990.

Fadnavis served as chief minister twice, from 2014 to 2019 and for 72 hours in 2019 when Ajit Pawar joined hands with him in a short-lived alliance government. “I told a few people jokingly that when you (an apparent reference to the BJP) told Eknath Shinde to come along with these many MLAs and he would be made chief minister…..You should have asked me. I would have brought the entire party along,” quipped Pawar.

“Whatever happens in life is planned by destiny,” Pawar said with a mock seriousness, evoking laughter. The NCP chief has not concealed his ambition to occupy the top post in the state in the past. Shinde led a rebellion with 39 MLAs against then Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 which led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Shinde then became the chief minister. Pawar said he has seen several chief ministers, but none like Shinde who is surrounded by people all the time. Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis noted that he himself is someone who became chief minister, leader of Opposition and then a deputy chief minister during a single assembly term (between 2019 and 2024). Similarly, Pawar became deputy chief minister, the leader of Opposition and again a deputy chief minister during the same period, he said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the statement by Ajit Pawar, leader of the opposition in the state assembly Vijay Waddetiwar said Pawar is greedy for power. For him staying in power is everything.

Watch VIDEO: ‘Would Have Brought Along Entire Party….’ Ajit Pawar Says At Launch Of Book On Eknath Shinde’s Life

While criticising BJP led government in Maharashtra he alleged mahyuti has formed government by taking MLAs from other parties. Wadettiwar also informed that on August 20, the day of birth anniversary of late Rajiv Gandhi, leaders like Soniya Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge will remain present in Mumbai on that occasion.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *