MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs are playing hide and seek in the ongoing session of the Maharashtra state assembly, making it difficult to figure out who is siding with which faction. Ajit Pawar has claimed the support of 40 MLAs, but only 24 MLAs were officially seen with him.
In the assembly, only 12 to 16 MLAs of NCP were seen sitting on ruling benches, while 12 to 14 MLAs were seen sitting with Opposition. The remaining MLAs are playing hide and seek. There are 54 NCP MLAs in the assembly.
“These NCP MLAs are entering the House only to sign the attendance, they avoid sitting in the House so that they can remain neutral in times of crisis in the party. The MLAs do not want to be seen either with Ajit Pawar or with Sharad Pawar. Therefore, it’s very difficult to identify who has more MLAs with them,” said a senior Congress MLA.
A senior NCP MLA belonging to the Ajit Pawar faction said that this confusion will continue until Ajit Pawar is elevated as chief minister of Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar met PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday late evening in Delhi.
“We were told that very soon we will get the positive and good news. The reason is Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde was not present in this long confidential meeting even though he was in Delhi to attend the NDA meeting. We can read this absence of CM Shinde in many ways, but let’s see, we are keeping our fingers crossed,” said an NCP leader