All is well, had another event to attend: Ajit Pawar on leaving cabinet meet early
Mumbai, Oct 11: Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday sought to scotch speculation over his leaving the state cabinet meeting early, and said all is well within the ruling Mahayuti alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and his NCP.
Speaking at a press conference here after inducting actor Sayaji Shinde in the Nationalist Congress Party, Pawar was non-committal about whether he would contest from the Baramati assembly seat, stating that the decision will be taken after seat-sharing is finalized.
“I had to leave early to attend a scheduled programme at Ahmedpur in Marathwada region,” the NCP chief said. “All the cabinet decisions taken yesterday have my approval,” he added.
Pawar's brief attendance at a crucial cabinet meeting in Mumbai Thursday had raised eyebrows, particularly as numerous financially significant decisions were taken in his absence even though he is the finance minister.
Thirty-eight decisions -- many of them having major financial implications -- were taken in the two-and-half hours after he had left.
“All is well and speculation about any dispute in the state cabinet meeting is baseless,” Pawar said.
"Too much is being read into it," he added.
The state cabinet can overrule objections of any department, Pawar said, when asked about the negative remarks by the finance department headed by him on populist schemes announced by the state government ahead of the assembly elections, likely to be announced in less than a week.
The seat-sharing talks among the Mahayuti alliance partners were going on smoothly, Pawar said.
"We will announce (outcome of the talks) when we feel like it," he said to a question.
Asked whether he would be contesting from his current Baramati assembly seat, Pawar gave no definite reply.
"Seat-sharing is yet to be done. After the Baramati seat is allotted to us, we will take a decision," he added.
Notably, his wife Sunetra Pawar was defeated by his estranged cousin and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction leader Supriya Sule from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat this year.
Sayaji Shinde would be the NCP's star campaigner in the elections, Pawar said, adding, "More people are slated to join us and it will happen in phases."
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Ramdas Athawale backs Fadnavis as Maharashtra CM; says Shinde can shift to Centre
New Delhi, Nov 26: RPI(A) leader Ramdas Athawale, a key BJP ally, on Tuesday called for a quick decision on the next chief minister of Maharashtra and suggested that incumbent Eknath Shinde should shift to the Centre as a Union minister.
Addressing a press conference here, Athawale also backed senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, contending that the saffron party won the maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly and should have the right to the top executive post in the state.
He said a peculiar situation has arisen in Maharashtra where BJP leaders want Fadnavis as the chief minister, while Shiv Sena leaders want Shinde to continue in the post, citing the good work he has done over the last two and a half years.
Athawale, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has declared that he was not in the race for the chief minister.
"We need to resolve this matter, without any further delay. The election results were announced on November 23 and we should have had the oath of the new chief minister on November 26, the Constitution Day," Athawale said.
Backing Fadnavis for the post of chief minister, Athawale said Shinde can become the deputy chief minister or shift to the Centre and join the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Athawale said his RPI(A) has a presence in every part of the state, but unfortunately lost the two seats -- Dharavi and Kalina -- offered to it in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections.
He demanded that an RPI member be made an MLC and a minister in the state government.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won a landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections winning 235 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP won 132 seats, followed by Shinde-led Shiv Sena (57) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP (41). Smaller parties, who are part of the alliance, won five seats.
