Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar, NCP leader Praful Patel arrive in Delhi

New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and NCP (Ajit faction) leader Praful Patel arrived in the national capital for the first time since he took oath as the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister.

Both leaders reached the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.
Later, NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction leader Praful Patel met Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speaking on his meeting with Shah, Patel said that it was just a “courtesy call”.

“Came here for a courtesy call. At present, there is a government of three parties in Maharashtra, out of which two parties are already in the government. Now if someone thinks that there is a big problem with this, it is not so. It will become clear in Maharashtra in a day or two,” Praful Patel said.

Ajit Pawar took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister with eight other party legislators also joining the National Democratic Alliance government in the State.

On July 2, Ajit Pawar claimed that all MLAs are with him and they have joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government as a party.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde that “the state cabinet will be expanded soon”.

Shinde was speaking to reporters after holding a meeting with Maharashtra deputy CMs, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, at his official residence, on Tuesday late night.

Ahead of CM Shinde’s comment, Deputy CMs, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were spotted leaving his official residence after the meeting.

The politics of Maharashtra is on the boil since Sunday as senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the state’s deputy chief minister.

Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government with 8 other MLAs and had claimed control over the Nationalist Congress Party.

The junior Pawar also had blamed the 82-year-old Sharad Pawar for NCP losing out on the chance to have a chief minister of Maharashtra despite having the support of a majority of MLAs in the year 2014.