Ministers' inclusion won't help Cong-NCP in Assembly polls: BJP

BJP has said that the inclusion of new ministers into the Maharashtra Cabinet would not help Congress-NCP in the Assembly elections due later this year.

Jitendra Awhad, the working president of NCP's Maharashtra unit, was today sworn-in as a minister in the state Cabinet, at the Raj Bhawan here.

"The people of Maharashtra have witnessed all the wrong doings by the government led by Congress-NCP. They think only by changing faces of ministers, they will win the Assembly elections," BJP Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar, who was present at Awhad's oath taking ceremony, told PTI.

"The people of Maharashtra have witnessed all their (Cong-NCP) wrong doings. They will face defeat in Assembly elections," he said.

The Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra suffered a major blow during the recent Lok Sabha elections. Congress' tally slumped to an all-time low of two and NCP's four. Maharashtra sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha. When asked about the absence of prominent BJP and Shiv Sena leaders during the ceremony, Shelar said he attended the ceremony on the behalf of the Opposition.

"I have been asked by my party leaders to convey our best wishes to the new minister. My party leaders are on a tour, hence could not attend the ceremony," he said.