Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday dismissed speculation of defections from his party, insisting that not a single MP or MLA would switch sides, even as the absence of 23 legislators from a key Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) strategy meeting fuelled fresh political chatter in Maharashtra.
The meeting, held on June 24, was attended by leaders of the MVA alliance but saw 23 legislators from the NCP (SP), Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) remain absent. Among the prominent leaders who skipped the meeting were senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, MLA Rohit Pawar, and Congress leaders Nana Patole and Vijay Wadettiwar.
The absences came days after six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, raising concerns about the stability of the Opposition alliance.
Leaders of the three parties, however, rejected suggestions of a rebellion, attributing the absences to scheduling conflicts, health issues and constituency engagements. Jayant Patil said the meeting had been rescheduled at short notice from June 23 to June 24, clashing with prior commitments.
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Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, however, is learnt to have expressed dissatisfaction over the poor attendance, saying unity within the alliance had to be reflected in action and not merely in public statements.
Responding to claims by NCP MLA Dharmarao Atram that five of the party’s eight Lok Sabha MPs were preparing to join the rival Nationalist Congress Party led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar by December, Sharad Pawar rejected the assertion.
“Not a single MP or MLA will defect,” Pawar told reporters.
Party working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule also dismissed the claim, saying all eight MPs remained united.
“We 8 MPs were united yesterday, are united today and will remain united tomorrow. If Baba Atram has a list of five MPs, he should disclose the names,” she said.
Political observers say the speculation has intensified following the recent split in the Shiv Sena (UBT), although there has been no official indication of an imminent exodus from the NCP (SP).
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