After a day of political turmoil in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Praful Patel has said that the party is one and Sharad Pawar is its leader.
Patel's statement comes after his colleague Ajit Pawar, the NCP's former deputy chief minister, led a vertical split in the party and joined the government of Eknath Shinde, the leader of the Shiv Sena rebel faction.
Patel was among the NCP leaders who went with Ajit Pawar when he made the shock move on Saturday. However, he later said that he had been "misled" by Ajit Pawar and that he was still loyal to Sharad Pawar.
In a statement on Sunday, Patel said, "We are one party and Sharad Pawar is our leader. There is no question of any split in the NCP."
He also said that he had met with Sharad Pawar and that they had discussed the recent developments. "We are confident that the NCP will emerge stronger from this crisis," Patel said.
The NCP's split has thrown Maharashtra's political landscape into turmoil. The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, of which the NCP was a part, collapsed on Saturday after 39 Shiv Sena MLAs, led by Eknath Shinde, defected to the BJP.
The BJP and the Shinde faction then formed a new government with Devendra Fadnavis as the chief minister and Eknath Shinde as the deputy chief minister.
The NCP's split has raised questions about the future of the MVA alliance. However, Patel has said that the NCP is committed to the alliance and that it will continue to work with the Shiv Sena and the Congress.
"The NCP is a secular party and we believe in working with all like-minded parties," Patel said. "We are committed to the MVA alliance and we will continue to work with the Shiv Sena and the Congress."
The NCP's split is a major setback for Sharad Pawar, who is one of the most powerful politicians in Maharashtra. However, Patel's statement suggests that the NCP is not ready to give up without a fight. The party is likely to challenge the Shinde government in the courts and it is also possible that it will try to woo back the rebel MLAs.
The next few weeks will be crucial for the NCP. The party will need to decide how it wants to respond to the split and how it wants to position itself in the new political landscape of Maharashtra.
