Sanjay Raut's big claim: 'BJP, Shiv Sena working to drive Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti'

A head of the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday accused the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena of systematically trying to oust Ajit Pawar's NCP from the Mahayuti alliance. Raut alleged that the BJP is using a "use and throw" strategy and warned that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction could be the next target. "The BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena are taking calculated steps to edge out Ajit Pawar's NCP. Shinde should be cautious as the BJP may soon target his party as well," Raut told reporters.

Sanjay Raut is the second MVA leader to make such a claim. Earlier, Rohit Pawar, grandson of Sharad Pawar, claimed that the BJP may want the NCP led by his uncle Ajit Pawar to contest the assembly elections separately in order to cut into the Opposition's votes. This claim gained traction as Ajit Pawar's faction did not do well in the Lok Sabha elections, winning only 1 of 4 seats it contested.  

NCP state unit president Sunil Tatkare, however, has dismissed Raut's charges, insisting that the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP remain united within the Mahayuti alliance. "These claims should not be taken seriously. We are a united front and will contest the elections together," Tatkare said, accusing the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of spreading rumors out of fear of losing at the polls.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar also refuted the speculation, asserting that the opposition MVA is spreading baseless rumors due to its weakening position. "There is no truth to these claims. The BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar) will remain in the alliance. The MVA is creating these stories because they lack the strength to challenge us," Shelar said.

Shelar further claimed that Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) have been in talks to contest the assembly elections without the Shiv Sena (UBT). "Uddhav Thackeray met with Congress leaders in Delhi, pushing to be declared the chief ministerial candidate for MVA, but was rebuffed by Sharad Pawar and sidelined by Congress," Shelar alleged.

Discussions around Ajit Pawar's political utility within the Mahayuti have surfaced repeatedly, particularly after the BJP's poor performance in Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha elections. The party's tally fell to just 9 seats, with an RSS-linked Marathi weekly partly blaming Ajit Pawar's NCP for the setback. 

Ajit Pawar, who broke away from his uncle and mentor Sharad Pawar in July 2023 to join the BJP-Shinde government, has faced diminishing political clout following the NCP's weak showing in the Lok Sabha elections, where his faction managed to secure just one seat compared to the 8 seats won by the Sharad Pawar faction. 

This electoral outcome has reportedly diminished Ajit Pawar's bargaining power within the Mahayuti alliance as seat-sharing talks progress for the upcoming assembly polls. Despite this, Ajit Pawar has asserted that his faction is growing stronger and aims to contest 60 seats in the state elections.