Shiv Sena, INC And NCP Conduct Joint Press Conference

The Shiv Sena, the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) addressed a press conference on the 23rd of November at Y.B. Chavan Pratishthan, Maharashtra.

The joint press conference, which started at 12:30 P.M., clarified the stand of the NCP about Ajit Pawar forming an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said the Shiv Sena-INC-NCP alliance would defeat the BJP in the trust vote.

Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the Governor of Maharashtra, asked Devendra Fadnavis to prove the majority by the 30th of November.

Sharad Pawar, the President of the NCP, said Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP and ditched the NCP, the INC and the Shiv Sena.  As per what Sharad Pawar stated earlier, the NCP joining hands with the BJP was Ajit Pawar’s personal decision, without any support from Sharad Pawar and the NCP.

At the time, Sharad Pawar said, “I came to know at 7 A.M., today about Ajit Pawar. I did not know before that. I will hold a press conference at some time. Uddhav too will address the media. I will speak elaborately then.”

Meanwhile, shocked by Ajit Pawar’s move, Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, put up a WhatsApp story which read, “Who do you trust in life…never felt so cheated in my life…Defended him, loved him…look what I get in return.”

On the 22nd of November, the NCP, the Shiv Sena and the INC held talks and were scheduled to meet Bhagat Singh Koshyari to stake the claim and form the Maharashtra Government.  However, before that could happen, Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP and took the oath of office as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, while Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the State.

Speaking about the same, Sanjay Raut, a member of the Shiv Sena, said, “NCP leader Dhananjay Munde has been contacted. Ajit Pawar may also return (to NCP fold). We have information how Ajit Pawar has been blackmailed and will expose this soon.”

Jitender Ahwad, a leader of the NCP, said, “NCP is not with BJP. Will never support BJP. Appeal to NCP workers to not get emotional. Don’t let outburst on social media. We all need to stand with Sharad Pawar.”

Ahmed Patel, a member of the INC, said, “All the three (Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena) parties are together in this and I am confident we will defeat BJP in the trust vote. All Congress MLAs are present here except two who are right now in their village, but they too are with us.”

Speaking about Ajit Pawar, Ahmed Patel said, “Without any ‘band, baaja, baarat’, this incident has been scripted in black ink in the history of Maharashtra. Without any confirmation, a leader goes to the Governor with a list of signatures. I can sense that something is wrong somewhere. They have made a joke of the Indian Constitution.”

Rajendra Shingane, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the NCP, said he was taken to the oath taking ceremony without any prior information.  He said, “Before we (three other MLAs were there) could understand anything, oath ceremony was complete (sic.)”

However, the Shiv Sena-NCP-INC alliance is confident about defeating the BJP in the trust vote scheduled to take place on the 30th of November.

According to sources, the INC is likely to shift its MLAs to Madhya Pradesh until the trust vote takes place.  Similarly, the NCP and the Shiv Sena are also planning to ask their MLAs to relocate temporarily.

Meanwhile, the BJP also organised a press conference at 2:30 P.M., on the 23rd of November, briefing about the formation of the Maharashtra Government.

Stay tuned for further updates.