Ajit Pawar Denies Requesting Amit Shah for Chief Minister Role After Assembly Elections

Mumbai, 10th September 2024: On Tuesday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar refuted claims that he had requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make him the chief minister following the upcoming Assembly elections, referencing the Bihar example.

Pawar clarified, “This is not true. Amit Shah visited Mumbai for Ganesh darshan, and we did not discuss the chief ministerial position.” He explained that their discussion focused on issues such as onion exports, farmers’ losses due to heavy rain, and minimum support prices.

He also stated that he does not support “friendly fights” with ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “There should be no friendly fights in the elections,” he emphasized. Pawar mentioned ongoing seat-sharing discussions, with a press conference planned to announce the outcomes once they are finalized. He dismissed media reports suggesting that the NCP might contest elections separately as unfounded.

Pawar added that the current priority is to promote government welfare schemes to the public. Regarding his photo’s removal from a BJP campaign for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, he said he had requested its removal.

NCP state chief Jayant Patil commented that if friendly fights occur, the party stands to benefit, noting an increasing influx into the NCP.