“All of us are working under leadership of Sharad Pawar”: NCP’s Jayant Patil

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 16 (ANI): The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Maharashtra president Jayant Patil on Saturday said that the party is working under the leadership of Sharad Pawar and will sit with Shiv Sena and Congress in the Vidhan Sabha for the upcoming monsoon session. 
“All of us are working under the leadership of Sharad Pawar and will sit with Shiv Sena and Congress in the Vidhan Sabha for the upcoming monsoon session,” Jayant Patil told reporters.
While speaking over questions about whether NCP is with the incumbent government or is in opposition, he cleared the air and stated that they are not in the government.
“We are not in the government, some people have gone to the other side and they have supported the government, but we have not supported the government. There has been a division in our party...these are the facts,” he added.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar along with his leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif and Dilip Walse Patil met NCP Chief Sharad Pawar at Yashwantrao Chavan Center in Mumbai on Sunday.
NCP Sharad Pawar faction leaders Jayant Patil and Jitendra Awhad also attended the meeting.
The NCP has 53 MLAs and nine MLCs, of whom nine MLAs including Ajit Pawar have joined the Eknath Shinde government.
However, Praful Patel claimed that they came to meet senior Pawar just to seek his blessings.
He further said they have requested Sharad Pawar to keep the party “united”.
“We had come to take blessings from our god, our leader Sharad Pawar ji and touch his feet. We had come voluntarily and without seeking his appointment. We requested Sharad Pawar to keep the party united and guide us in near future. He (Sharad Pawar) did not reply to this. He quietly heard us all,” said NCP’s Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, who is one of the key supporters of Ajit Pawar. Ajit did not comment on the meeting. (ANI)