Big party in power may poach own allies, not Opposition: Rohit Pawar

Mumbai: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Sunday claimed that contrary to reports of attempts to "poach" Opposition legislators in Maharashtra, a major ruling party in the Mahayuti coalition could instead turn focus on its own allies.

There was credible information that by the end of next month, a "big party in power" may engineer defections within the ruling alliance, Pawar claimed in an apparent swipe at the ruling BJP, and cautioned smaller partners to remain vigilant.

"While the BJP may currently project a stance of unwavering friendship towards its allies, the situation could change, leading to a sense of betrayal among partners," Pawar said in a post on X.

The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Sunetra Pawar's NCP are partners in the Devendra Fadnavis-headed Mahayuti government.

Over the past few days, there has been a buzz that the Shiv Sena has secretly launched 'Operation Tiger' in a bid to induce defections among leaders of the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) led by former CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday dubbed the reports as baseless and said the aim of such rumours was to "create sensation".

However, Rohit Pawar, in his post on X, claimed, "The reality is quite different. There is credible information that by the end of next month, a major party in power will instead target its own allies."

"While the BJP today may display a sentiment of 'we will never abandon our friends', tomorrow its allies may well feel 'you have betrayed us'. Therefore, it would be wise for allies to remain cautious to ensure they do not become targets themselves," he added.

The Opposition NCP (SP) leader also alleged that a recent controversy involving a "fraudulent Kharat episode", which he claimed had brought disrepute to the state, was not accidental but deliberately orchestrated, and described it as "just the beginning".

Notably, Nashik-based self-proclaimed godman and astrologer Ashok Kharat has been arrested recently and faces nearly a dozen cases, eight of them related to sexual assaults.

The 'godman' heads a temple trust at Sinnar in Nashik district and met several political leaders over the years. After Kharat's arrest, his photos with prominent politicians went viral, causing a political firestorm in the state.