After quitting as Dy CM, Ajit Pawar attends NCP MLAs' meet

NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who joined hands with the BJP last week to form government in Maharashtra but quit it later, attended a meeting of his party legislators here on Wednesday and guided them on various issues, party MLA Dhananjay Munde said.

The leaders discussed issues relating to Thursday's swearing-in ceremony of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister, Assembly Speaker's election, confidence motion and programmes to be organised to mark NCP chief Sharad Pawar's 80th birthday on December 12, he said.

"We discussed the confidence motion. Dada (Ajit Pawar) also attended the meeting. He guided us besides (Sunil) Tatkare saheb and (NCP state chief) Jayant Patil saheb," Munde, the MLA from Parli seat, told reporters.

"Dada said we are united. I had said earlier too. (Sharad) Pawar Saheb's leadership is the ultimate leadership," Munde added.

Senior party leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil were also present at the meeting, held at the Y B Chavan Centre here ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Thackeray as the state's next chief minister on Thursday evening.

Ajit Pawar, 60, who won the October 21 state polls from Pune's Baramati seat with a margin of 1.65 lakh votes, shocked his party and family last Saturday after he joined hands with the BJP and became deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government.

The NCP subsequently sacked him as its legislature unit leader the same day. However, he continues to be a member of the party.

Ajit Pawar on Tuesday resigned as Dy CM citing "personal reasons", following which Fadnavis too stepped down as chief minister, leading to collapse of the BJP-led government.