Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday refused claims that he had any separate meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the seat-sharing discussions for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly Elections. There were reports stating that the NCP chief had a secret meeting with Shah over the seat-sharing formula of Mahayuti and discord between the alliance leaders.
Speaking with the media, Pawar said that he met Amit Shah and discussed on various farming issues persisting in Maharashtra
#WATCH | Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar says, “I met Union Home Minister Amit Shah because he had come to Mumbai for Ganpati Darshan. I did discuss some issues related to farming related to cotton, and soybean. I have also requested not to ban the import of onions…We need to… pic.twitter.com/sEFutZ7ks7
— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2024
On Monday, questions were on discord between Mahayuti leaders were raised as Dy CM Ajit Pawar did not accompany Amit Shah during his Ganpati darshan in Mumbai. Shah was joined by CM Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
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“I met HM Amit Shah because he had come to Mumbai for Ganpati Darshan. I discussed some farming issues related to cotton and soybean. I have also requested not to ban the import of onions. We need to see how onion farmers get a good price for their produce,” Pawar said.
Asked about the seat-sharing talks, Pawar said that Mahayuti leaders will sit together and discuss the formula for seat-sharing of all 288 constituencies. Maximum discussions are done and final decisions will be taken soon.
Separate Meeting With Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar
On Sunday when Amit Shah was in Mumbai, he had lined up three back-to-back meetings with BJP state unit leaders and a separate meeting with CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. The meetings assume utmost significance in view of the charged atmosphere in the state political circle that is witnessing most volatile moments in the last few days with controversies over running the government.
Tensions Between Mahayuti Ahead of Elections
Ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections, the strife Shiv Sena leaders and Ajit Pawar came to fore when after Minister Tanaji Sawant said that he feels like vomiting sitting next to Ajit Pawar during cabinet meetings. While, another Minister Gulabrao Patil recently said that he needs to take repeated follow-ups at the finance ministry, which is headed by Ajit Pawar.
