Mumbai : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday dismissed Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan’s claim that Ajit Pawar will be appointed as Chief Minister in August in place of Eknath Shinde. Fadnavis said Ajit Pawar was well aware that he would not become the chief minister and this was conveyed to him during meetings held before July 2, when the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Ajit Pawar was included in the Maharashtra government.
Responding to Chavan’s claim that Pawar, a senior NCP deputy chief minister, would be appointed as chief minister around August 10, Fadnavis said the cabinet could be expanded by August 10 and nothing more.
“As the leader of the single largest party in the Mahayuti (grand alliance), I am telling you officially that Ajit Pawar will not become the chief minister of Maharashtra,” Fadnavis told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex.
He insisted that Eknath Shinde will continue to be the Chief Minister and there will be no change in this regard. Fadnavis also claimed that the power-sharing formula was clearly explained to Ajit Pawar and he agreed to it. He said, “He (Ajit) not only agreed to it but also made it clear in his speech that there was no discussion on changing the leadership in Maharashtra.”