Amid speculations of Ajit Pawar joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said that the NCP leader or any person who wants to join the party would be welcomed.
"The doors of the party are open for everyone who works for the country and believes in BJP's ideology," Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.
However, former Maharashtra deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar on Tuesday dismissed "rumours" about switching over to the BJP and emphasised that he would remain with the NCP.
"No truth in the rumours spread about me. I am with the NCP and will remain with the party," Ajit Pawar told the media.
Mr Bawankule said that PM Modi has resolved to make India number one in the world by 2035, and whoever wants to join this resolution will be welcomed by the BJP.
The Maharashtra BJP chief termed the news about Ajit Pawar as imaginary. "No such proposal has come to the BJP. There is no discussion. Ajit Pawar has made no contact with the BJP and the party is also not in touch with him," he said.
"Yesterday Ajit Pawar himself while talking to the press in Mumbai denied all the news and said that he will remain in NCP only," he added.
On Tuesday, Ajit Pawar's uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar tweeted," Ajit Pawar is busy with election-related work. All this talk is only in the media."
Ajit Pawar also in a tweet issued a stout denial of the news reports, "There are some media reports saying that I have convened a meeting of the (NCP) MLAs on Tuesday. This is completely false. I wish to clarify that I have not called a meeting of my party MLAs and office bearers."
There was a buzz about Ajit Pawar joining the BJP after the NCP leader recently hailed the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while adding he had full faith in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), in a remark seen as a departure from the Opposition line on the subject.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
