‘No new ally in MahaYuti’: Maha CM clarifies amid rumours over NCP (SP) row

New Delhi/Mumbai, July 7 (IANS) Amid political buzz over the NCP (SP) aligning with the ruling alliance, especially after the meeting between BJP MP Vinod Tawde and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday clarified that no new party will be joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the state’s Mahayuti alliance at present.

He further said the government has no intention of breaking any party for expansion or the upcoming elections. He added that the current Mahayuti alliance is strong, and they will move forward together in the future, and there is no attempt on their part to split MLAs or MPs from Sharad Pawar’s party.

The clarification came on the sidelines of a high-level meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on projects in the Narmada River basin. The meeting successfully cleared the way for Maharashtra to receive 10 TMC of water.

Speaking to the media after this significant decision, Fadnavis addressed the state’s latest political developments. He reiterated that no new party will join the NDA at the Centre or the Mahayuti in Maharashtra.

The rumours gained traction shortly after ‘Operation Tiger’, which saw six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena defect to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Fresh off the heels of this development, reports emerged suggesting a similar split could occur within Sharad Pawar’s NCP, further fuelled by the alleged meeting between Patil and Tawde.

However, leaders from the Sharad Pawar faction have strongly dismissed these claims. Reacting to the developments, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar stated there is no truth to these reports. He said no such discussions are taking place within their party, and these are merely rumours.

He added that they have been opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ideology for the past 60 years and have always taken to the streets to fight for farmers’ issues.

On the other hand, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule expressed complete ignorance of any exclusive political meeting between Patil and Tawde.

She said Tawde and they frequently meet for public and government committee work, and they have met several times over the past month, meetings that were also attended by the BJP National President and other senior leaders. Such meetings happen either for family or official work, and there is no need to give them a political colour, she remarked, downplaying the issue.

–IANS

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