NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant‘s recent comment about feeling “nauseous” after sitting next to NCP leaders has intensified the political rift within the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra. Sawant’s remark, made during a public event, has provoked strong reactions from both the rival NCP (SP) and the embattled NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.
Sawant, who is Maharashtra’s health minister, expressed his discomfort with the NCP during an event in Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad).”Even if we sit next to each other in the cabinet, I feel like vomiting after coming out,” Sawant said, expressing his dissatisfaction with the coalition partner.
NCP (SP), led by Sharad Pawar seized the opportunity to criticise Ajit Pawar’s faction and the broader Mahayuti alliance. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that Sawant’s comment enhance the growing discontent within the coalition and suggested that it’s time for the BJP to reconsider its alliance with Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Crasto said, “The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti.”
The BJP, Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are the key partners in the Mahayuti coalition.
Crasto further remarked that the BJP cadre is questioning their alignment with Ajit Pawar, reflecting growing dissatisfaction within their ranks.
In response, the NCP has called for either the sacking of Sawant or the withdrawal from the coalition. “My request to our senior party leaders would be to quit Mahayuti rather than endure such statements,” said NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil.
NCP spokesperson and member of legislative council (MLC) Amol Mitkari condemned Sawant’s remarks, accusing the Shiv Sena minister of undermining coalition harmony.
“We are maintaining silence only to preserve the coalition dharma,” Mitkari added, suggesting that only the chief minister could address the issues within the alliance.
The tension within the coalition has been exacerbated by the recent electoral performance, where the Mahayuti secured only 17 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha elections, falling behind the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which won 30 seats.
The split in the NCP in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar and his loyalists joined the Mahayuti, has led to further fragmentation and mutual criticism between the two NCP factions.
Mahesh Tapase, another NCP (SP) spokesperson, claimed that Ajit Pawar has lost his self-respect and there is growing discontent within the ranks of the Shinde-led Sena over the alliance with NCP.
“I never imagined that Ajit Dada, who once commanded immense respect within the NCP, would compromise his self-respect for power,” Tapase said.
Sawant, who is Maharashtra’s health minister, expressed his discomfort with the NCP during an event in Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad).”Even if we sit next to each other in the cabinet, I feel like vomiting after coming out,” Sawant said, expressing his dissatisfaction with the coalition partner.
NCP (SP), led by Sharad Pawar seized the opportunity to criticise Ajit Pawar’s faction and the broader Mahayuti alliance. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that Sawant’s comment enhance the growing discontent within the coalition and suggested that it’s time for the BJP to reconsider its alliance with Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Crasto said, “The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti.”
The BJP, Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are the key partners in the Mahayuti coalition.
Crasto further remarked that the BJP cadre is questioning their alignment with Ajit Pawar, reflecting growing dissatisfaction within their ranks.
In response, the NCP has called for either the sacking of Sawant or the withdrawal from the coalition. “My request to our senior party leaders would be to quit Mahayuti rather than endure such statements,” said NCP spokesperson Umesh Patil.
NCP spokesperson and member of legislative council (MLC) Amol Mitkari condemned Sawant’s remarks, accusing the Shiv Sena minister of undermining coalition harmony.
“We are maintaining silence only to preserve the coalition dharma,” Mitkari added, suggesting that only the chief minister could address the issues within the alliance.
The tension within the coalition has been exacerbated by the recent electoral performance, where the Mahayuti secured only 17 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha elections, falling behind the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which won 30 seats.
The split in the NCP in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar and his loyalists joined the Mahayuti, has led to further fragmentation and mutual criticism between the two NCP factions.
Mahesh Tapase, another NCP (SP) spokesperson, claimed that Ajit Pawar has lost his self-respect and there is growing discontent within the ranks of the Shinde-led Sena over the alliance with NCP.
“I never imagined that Ajit Dada, who once commanded immense respect within the NCP, would compromise his self-respect for power,” Tapase said.
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