"One Team": NCP Leader On Reports Of MLAs 'In Touch With' Sharad Pawar Camp

Refuting the reports of NCP MLAs returning to Sharad Pawar's camp after the poll debacle, Maharashtra NCP President and MP Sunil Tatkare on Thursday asserted that all MLAs are united with Ajit Pawar and such misinformation was deliberately spread during the Lok Sabha elections as well.

Ajit Pawar's faction secured only one seat out of the four it contested in the Lok Sabha elections.

"Rumours are being spread deliberately that our MLAs are in touch with the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP...All our MLAs are with us and we are one team. Such rumours and fake videos were being circulated even during elections," the Maharashtra NCP chief told reporters.

Asked if NCP (Ajit Pawar) MLAs are in contact with him, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Jayant Patil in a press conference said that the right decision should be taken at the right time.

"The usage of my phone has increased...I cannot give an answer today but I am telling you that things are different. The right decision is taken at the right time," he said.

Mr Tatkare said the core committee meeting was held today and the results of the Lok Sabha election were reviewed.

"Core committee meeting (of the party) was held today. A review of the Lok Sabha election results was held. In the upcoming Vidhanb Sabha elections we will work aggressively...A meeting of all NCP MLAs will be held in the evening. Discussions will be held with them regarding elections," he said.

The Maharashtra NCP President further said that he would participate in the NDA MPs' meeting tomorrow that is scheduled to be held in Delhi.

"Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, I and all of us will go to Delhi to participate in the NDA MPs' meeting," he said.

In Maharashtra, the BJP-led NDA alliance has only secured 17 seats while the INDIA alliance has secured a major 30 seats in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

The counting of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was held on Tuesday. The BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303.

The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats. The INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition to the NDA, and defying all predictions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP will need to rely on the support of other parties in his coalition - especially Nitish Kumar's JDU and the Chandrababu Naidu's TDP.

BJP fell 32 seats short of the 272 majority mark after votes polled in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were counted. It was the first time since the Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014 that it did not secure a majority on its own.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)