NCP leader Ajit Pawar reportedly removed the party logo from his Twitter and Facebook bio amid rumours of him joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) soon. He, although, has "NCP leader" written in his bio on Twitter. Within hours, Pawar dismissed these claims as "baseless and wrong". He said, "I appeal to all to stop such rumours."

The move came as the Supreme Court is expected to pronounce its verdict on the disqualification of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 15 MLAs any day now.

#JustIn | Ajit Pawar removes NCP logo from his Twitter and Facebook bio amid rumours of him joining hands with the BJP. News18's @vinivdvc and @sompura_preeti with details @toyasingh | #Maharashtra #MaharashtraPolitics #AjitPawar pic.twitter.com/sfhozUgplo

— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 18, 2023

Ajit Pawar is a key NCP leader, whose rebellion in 2019, spiraled into a deep political crisis in Maharashtra. In 2019, Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP and was later swore in as the Deputy chief minister of the state for a couple of days before Sharad Pawar brought him back to the NCP. The rebellion by Ajit Pawar then triggered a massive political drama in Maharashtra.

Last week, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut wrote in Samana that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar met Uddhav Thackeray and assured that the NCP is a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). But if any MLA defects due to some pressure, that will be their personal decision, Sharad Pawar was quoted as saying.

The MVA was a coalition government formed by the Congress, the NCP and the Shiv Sena under the chief ministership of Uddhav Thackeray.

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Dismissing rumours of Ajit Pawar joining the BJP, Sharad Pawar said, "Ajit Pawar is busy with election-related work. All this talk is only in the media." Meanwhile, NCP leader Anil Patil said that 'Dada' is with the NCP. "Whatever will be his decision, we will be with him," he added.

Ajit Pawar enjoys the support of 40 MLAs. Some reports say Praful Pratel is also likely to jump the ship. The New Indian Express reported, "Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar gets the consent of his party’s 40 MLAs for his decision to join the hand with BJP. The signatures of these MLAs are also taken as voluntary consent."

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First Published:Apr 18, 2023 1:32 PM IST