Ajit Pawar's remarks on his portfolio raise questions on Maharashtra alliance

In a statement that probably reflects an unease within Maharashtra's ruling coalition, deputy chief minister and leader of the breakaway Nationalist Congress Party Ajit Pawar said he was not sure as to how long he would have the finance minister's post. "Today I have the finance ministry with me, hence you are favoured more (by giving schemes). However, going ahead, whether the portfolio will remain with me, that cannot be said," Pawar said while speaking to his supporters in Baramati on Saturday.

His comment comes in the backdrop of talk that not all is well within the alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena and the breakaway group of NCP.

Pawar was absent during the visit of Union home minister Amit Shah's visit to Mumbai on Saturday. Shah, who visited the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandap in the city. Shah also held closed-door meetings with chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. On Sunday, Pawar claimed that nothing much should be read into his absence when Shah was in Mumbai as he had already informed Shinde, Fadnavis and the home minister's office about it. "I have been representing Baramati for several years; there are housing associations, Baramati Bank, Baramati Milk Cooperative and the Baramati Market Committee meetings. Since these meetings are held once every year, I didn't want to skip the meetings. The agenda for these meetings was decided 15 days in advance and I had already informed Shah's office that I could not be present in Mumbai as my programme was already decided earlier," he said.


State BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule tried to downplay Pawar's statement on the finance minister's post, saying: "What would happen in future, no one knows; how tomorrow's day will go for you or me, no one knows. This is a natural statement; it is not a political statement."