Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Ajit Pawar, Fadnavis hit back after Jayant Patil claims BJP used irrigation ‘scam’ to blackmail NCP chief

Mumbai: Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil has claimed that the BJP used the alleged irrigation scam for 10 years to blackmail Ajit Pawar, evoking rebuttals from the NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Patil made the claim in a newspaper interview on Saturday.

Ajit Pawar, who broke away from the undivided NCP and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance last year, rejected Patil’s remarks.

Speaking to reporters in Baramati, from where he is contesting the assembly polls, Pawar asked, “Would I have waited for 10 years to join the BJP if I was blackmailed.” Fadnavis said Patil should not be taken seriously. “Look at his face. He is always smiling. What he says should not be taken seriously,” said the senior BJP leader.

The alleged irrigation scam surfaced ahead of the November 20 polls after Ajit Pawar on Tuesday claimed that he was “backstabbed” by his close colleague and former state home minister and NCP leader RR Patil who ordered an open inquiry against him.

He claimed that a file mentioning Patil’s remarks ordering an inquiry into the alleged irrigation scam was shown to him by Fadnavis after the latter became the chief minister in 2014.

Ajit Pawar was the water resources development minister during 1999-2009 when the Congress-NCP combine was in power in Maharashtra.

The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split after Ajit Pawar’s rebellion last year. Ajit Pawar subsequently got the party’s name and ‘clock’ symbol. Sharad Pawar now heads the NCP(SP), a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) which also comprises the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

Polling for the 288 assembly seats in the state will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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