Joined Shinde government for country's development, says new Maharashtra Dy CM Pawar

Maharashtra's new Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, on Sunday said that the country is progressing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a move to extend his support to the Centre after joining the local BJP-coalition.

?Pawar's statements follow the Nationalist Congress Party leader's success in engineering a split within his party and then extending support to the NDA government in the state.

"Today, we have decided to support the Maharashtra government and took oath as ministers. There will be a discussion on the portfolios later. Considering all aspects at the national level, we thought that we should support development," Pawar said in a press briefing.


Pawar's decision throws a spanner in the plans of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which consists of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the NCP, with the new Deputy CM asserting that him and his party would contest all future elections on the NCP's name and symbol.

Alongisde Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Aditi Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde, Hasan Mushrif, Ramraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Bansode and Anil Bhaidas Patil also took oath as part of the NDA government at Raj Bhawan on Sunday.

Pawar said his party decided to become part of the Eknath Shinde government for the sake of the country's development, praising the Prime Minister's leadership.

"Overall and comprehensive development was taken into account. We have a vast experience of the administration, we can utilise it for the good," he said.

Defending his decision to share power with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Pawar said, "If we can go with the Shiv Sena, then we can go with the BJP as well. The same thing happened in Nagaland as well."

Pawar, in a press briefing, added that some MLAs could not be contacted as they are out of the country but he spoke to all of them and they "agreed" with his decision.

"We have all the numbers, all MLAs are with me. We are here as a party. We have informed all seniors also. The majority is given importance in a democracy. Our party is 24 years old and young leadership should come forward," Pawar added.

With inputs from Agencies