Some Well-Wishers are Trying to Persuade Me: Sharad Pawar (Image: twitter.com/NCPspeaks)

Even though some well-wishers are persuading, “we will not go to BJP”, said Sharad Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party Chief (NCP), on Sunday.

Mr Pawar, a senior Indian politician who served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for four terms and was part of the earlier Congress-led United Progressive Alliance or UPA, was speaking in a press conference at Sangola in Solapur district of Maharashtra, reported the India Today.

“As the national president of the NCP, I am making it clear that my party (NCP) will not go with the BJP. Any association with the Bharatiya Janata Party does not fit in NCP’s political policy,” he said to the media. 

He revealed that some of his well-wishers are trying to influence him to set up an alliance with the ruling BJP. 

It was on July 2, 2023, his nephew Ajit Pawar split from NCP and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar is the current Deputy CM of Maharashtra.  

“Some of us (Ajit Pawar-led NCP group) have taken a different stand. Some of our well-wishers are trying to see if there can be any change in our stand. That is why they are trying to have a cordial discussion with us”, Sharad Pawar added. 

The statement came after Sharad Pawar’s meeting with Ajit Pawar on Saturday, became controversial as a ‘secret meeting’. 

“I want to tell you the fact that he is my nephew. What is wrong with meeting my nephew? If a senior person in a family desire to meet another family member, there should not be any issue with that,” senior Pawar explained.  

Nana Patole, head of Maharashtra Congress, also clarified that there is no confusion within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over the Pawar’s meeting.

Sharad Pawar was also seen sharing the dais with Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader. They were attending the function to unveil the statue of late MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh, on Sunday.