In his tell-all speech on Wednesday, 5 July, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar detailed the number of times that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had held talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form an alliance.
These attempts by the NCP to align with the BJP date back to 2014, according to Ajit Pawar. But the talks always fell through, he said.
A bid to justify the alliance, Ajit Pawar's revelations could serve as a partial corroboration of claims that have been made by Maharashtra Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in February this year.
"We had an offer from the NCP that they needed a stable government and we should form such a government together. We decided to go ahead and hold talks. The talks happened with Sharad Pawar. Then things changed. You have seen how things changed," Devendra Fadnavis had said in February this year.
Here's what Ajit Pawar claimed transpired between the two parties whenever they tried to stitch an alliance in the state:
Ajit Pawar Claims NCP-BJP Alliance Talks Failed 4 Times: 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022
1. 2014
"In 2014, the BJP had offered 16 seats each to Shiv Sena and NCP. But the BJP changed its mind later. Nitin Gadkari was keen on it but other BJP leaders weren't. After the BJP won at the Centre and at the state in 2014, the equations had altered," Ajit Pawar said.
Expand2. 2017
"In 2017, discussions for an alliance with the BJP took place at the Varsha Bungalow. There was me, Jayant Patil, Sunil Tatkare, present on orders of the senior leaders. From the BJP, there was Sudhir Mungantiwar, Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde, and Chandrakant Patil. The portfolios and ministerial posts were discussed. Sunil Tatkare was called to Delhi. The BJP told us that they will not leave the Shiv Sena, its ally for 25 years and if there has to be an alliance, it will be of the BJP, Sena, and the NCP," the deputy CM continued
"Our senior leaders did not agree. They said we cannot ally with the Shiv Sena since it is a communal party," he added.
Expand3. 2019
"After 2019 election results, you know what the situation was. Senior leaders of the NCP, BJP, Fadnavis, Praful Patel and I met at a businessman's house. There were five such meetings held but Fadnavis and I were told not to say a word about it to anybody. We did not speak anywhere. Things suddenly changed and we were told that we will ally with the Shiv Sena. I don't understand how the Shiv Sena went from being a communal party in 2017 to an ally two years later and the BJP that was being friendly was called communal. It does not work like that," Ajit Pawar said.
Expand4. 2022
Narrating the events following the MVA government's fall in June 2022, Ajit Pawar said that he had been telling the Uddhav Thackeray that there is some unrest in the Shiv Sena and that he should intervene.
"All 53 NCP MLAs and nine MLCs met in my chambers and signed a letter drafted by Hasan Mushrif to request the senior leaders of the party that we should be in the government, or the development work will stop, there will be hurdles, there will be no vikas, and the people will question us," he added.
"The BJP called us to Indore for talks saying that such discussions cannot take place over the phone. But we were told that if we go to Indore, the media will know. I said it's ok if the media knows since we are trying to form the government. But we were asked to cancel our tickets. Eknath Shinde had not taken oath yet," Ajit Pawar said.
"I have the Xerox copy of all signatures. I can show it too. But why am I made the villain every time? Despite that, he is still my God," he further said.
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Expand
2014
"In 2014, the BJP had offered 16 seats each to Shiv Sena and NCP. But the BJP changed its mind later. Nitin Gadkari was keen on it but other BJP leaders weren't. After the BJP won at the Centre and at the state in 2014, the equations had altered," Ajit Pawar said.
2017
"In 2017, discussions for an alliance with the BJP took place at the Varsha Bungalow. There was me, Jayant Patil, Sunil Tatkare, present on orders of the senior leaders. From the BJP, there was Sudhir Mungantiwar, Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde, and Chandrakant Patil. The portfolios and ministerial posts were discussed. Sunil Tatkare was called to Delhi. The BJP told us that they will not leave the Shiv Sena, its ally for 25 years and if there has to be an alliance, it will be of the BJP, Sena, and the NCP," the deputy CM continued
"Our senior leaders did not agree. They said we cannot ally with the Shiv Sena since it is a communal party," he added.
2019
"After 2019 election results, you know what the situation was. Senior leaders of the NCP, BJP, Fadnavis, Praful Patel and I met at a businessman's house. There were five such meetings held but Fadnavis and I were told not to say a word about it to anybody. We did not speak anywhere. Things suddenly changed and we were told that we will ally with the Shiv Sena. I don't understand how the Shiv Sena went from being a communal party in 2017 to an ally two years later and the BJP that was being friendly was called communal. It does not work like that," Ajit Pawar said.
2022
Narrating the events following the MVA government's fall in June 2022, Ajit Pawar said that he had been telling the Uddhav Thackeray that there is some unrest in the Shiv Sena and that he should intervene.
"All 53 NCP MLAs and nine MLCs met in my chambers and signed a letter drafted by Hasan Mushrif to request the senior leaders of the party that we should be in the government, or the development work will stop, there will be hurdles, there will be no vikas, and the people will question us," he added.
"The BJP called us to Indore for talks saying that such discussions cannot take place over the phone. But we were told that if we go to Indore, the media will know. I said it's ok if the media knows since we are trying to form the government. But we were asked to cancel our tickets. Eknath Shinde had not taken oath yet," Ajit Pawar said.
"I have the Xerox copy of all signatures. I can show it too. But why am I made the villain every time? Despite that, he is still my God," he further said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)