Addressing a presser, when asked if the opposition BJP had a role to play in the ongoing political crisis in the state, Ajit Pawar said, "So far, no top BJP leader has been seen in the forefront."
MVA decided to back CM Uddhav Thackeray. I believe once the (Shiv Sena) MLAs return to Mumbai the situation will change, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said.
Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said that it is essential to get out of the unnatural front for the survival of the party and Shiv Sainiks.
As Sena struggled to quell the unrest, party MP Sanjay Raut claimed that contact has been established with Shinde, who he described as a “loyal Shiv Sainik of Balasaheb Thackeray”.
The NCP chief said he would be meeting Uddhav Thackeray later in the day and would be leaving for Mumbai soon after the opposition meeting on the joint presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, the BJP will hold its parliamentary board meeting on Tuesday where it is likely to finalise its pick for the election slated to be held on July 18, sources said.
The process to elect India's next President began on June 15. The last date for filing nominations is June 29. The polls, if necessary, will be held on July 18 and the counting on July 21.
The Congress has been reaching out to other opposition parties for a common candidate for the presidential polls.
"If you see the votes polled by every candidate of NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress, they received the votes as per the quota. Only Praful Patel received one extra vote and I know from where it came. That was not MVA's vote, it was from the opposite side," Pawar told media.
Both NCP and Congress are constituents in the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government which completed two-and-a-half years in power only last month.
The 29-year-old Marathi actress, Ketaki Chitale was arrested by the Thane police last Saturday over the post she allegedly shared on her Facebook page about NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
The BJP leader later approached the Pune police alleging that some 20 NCP workers attacked him in his office. He said he was a tax consultant as well and had written a social media post on Friday for which he was asked to apologize by party MP Girish Bapat.
Chitale shared a poem penned by advocate Nitin Bhave on her Facebook wall that kicked off a political row and the actress has been hugely trolled for the foul language used in the verse.
Sharad Pawar's comments come ahead of the deadline of May 3 given by MNS chief Raj Thackeray to the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress govt to remove the loudspeakers from Mosques.
Speaking at a rally in western Maharashtra, Pawar referred to violence that broke out in Jahangirpuri area of Delhi during Hanuman Jayanti processions earlier this month.
The veteran politician said the NCP plans to contest in a limited number of seats, especially in north Karnataka region, during the 2023 assembly polls, and it will discuss with secular parties in the state in this regard to ensure 'secular votes' don't get divided.
On Friday evening, the police had arrested 103 persons, including advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, who claims to represent the striking employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), he said.
The state transport workers have been in a protest since November 2021. The main demand of the striking workers is that the cash-strapped transport corporation is merged with the state government.
Thousands of MSRTC workers have been on strike since November 2021 demanding that they be treated on par with the state government employees and that the cash-strapped transport corporation be merged with the government.
The Enforcement Directorate had on Tuesday attached assets worth more than Rs 11.15 crore of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's wife and two of his associates in a money-laundering investigation.
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