"Power Comes, Power Goes": Pawar Party Leader's Dig At Eknath Shinde, BJP

National Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar claimed on Sunday that Maharashtra government could fall again as court verdicts on pleas with regard to the politcal crisis in the state last year were pending.

The deputy chief minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Mr Pawar said power has a way of changing hands as the status doesn't remain the same forever.

Mr Pawar made remarks while addressing a campaign event for the Kasba Assembly bye-election in Pune.

"Power does not remain with anyone forever. No one is born with a silver spoon. Power comes, power goes. The decision of the Supreme Court (on the pleas on Maharashtra political crisis) is yet to come. The decision of the Election Commission is yet to come, anything can happen. If the MLAs get disqualified, then there may be a change (of government) again. Everyone should keep this in mind," Pawar said on Sunday.

A split in the Shiv Sena triggered the collapse of the MVA government last year, eventually resulting in Uddhav Thackeray stepping down as chief minister on June 30, 2022.

Eknath Shinde, who led the dissident Sena MLAs, took oath as chief minister, with support of the BJP.

However, the battle for primacy between the rival Sena factions is far from over, with the Supreme Court posting for February 14 the hearing on a batch of petitions filed by Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in connection with last year's political crisis.

A five-judge Constitution bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha on January 10, said, "We will hear it (the batch of pleas on Maharashtra political crisis) on February 14."

Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray-led group told the apex court that an unconstitutional government was running Maharashtra.

Bypolls in Pune is going to take place on February 26 and the results will be declared on March 2.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of Kasba Peth MLA Mukta Tilak on December 22 last year.

The Chinchwad Assembly seat of Pune, which fell vacant following the demise of sitting MLA Laxman Jagtap on January 3, will go to bypoll on the same day.

From Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the NCP fielded Nana Kate from the Chinchwad assembly constituency.

As part of an agreement arrived at between the MVA partners, the Congress will contest the Kasba bypoll.