Sharad Pawar Affirms NCP's Unity Amid Shiv Sena Turmoil

NCP Leader Stresses Party Loyalty

Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), expressed confidence in the unity and loyalty of his party. He emphasized that despite the recent departures of MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT), no member of the NCP would follow suit. Speaking to reporters, Pawar addressed speculation regarding NCP MPs and MLAs being in contact with the Shiv Sena (UBT) members who have left.

This statement comes in the wake of significant upheaval within the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), where six of its MPs joined the faction led by Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The MPs who switched allegiance include Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchoure, Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar, and Nagesh Bapurav Patil Ashtikar. Recently, UBT MP Arvind Sawant met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to consider their perspective before making any decisions.

Along with NCP MP Anil Desai, Sawant mentioned that they had previously written to the Speaker following a parliamentary party meeting and reiterated their request. He stated that the six Shiv Sena MPs had left the party and joined another faction. Desai and Sawant had met with the Lok Sabha Speaker last week to submit a formal request regarding this matter, emphasizing the need to uphold constitutional protections if any MP wishes to leave their party.

Sawant added that following the recent developments, they sent another letter requesting that any decisions regarding this issue be made only after hearing their side. The Speaker granted them an audience today, and when they inquired about any correspondence, he indicated that he had not received any letters. On June 22, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the six MPs were officially welcomed into the new party. During a press conference after their induction, Shinde declared that he does not leave any task unfinished and proclaimed the success of 'Operation Tiger'.