Politicians From the Camps of Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde Will Join BJP: Sanjay Raut

Leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sanjay Raut, declared on Thursday that nearly all of the legislators of the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and most MLAs and MPs of the Ajit Pawar branch of the Nationalist Congress Party will join the Bharatiya Janata Party “in future.” In an interview with reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP stated that members from Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar camp would run on the party’s emblem if the BJP grants them tickets.

“According to credible information that I have, a majority of MLAs and MPs of the Ajit Pawar faction (of the NCP) and almost all MLAs and MPs of the Shinde faction will join the BJP in the future,” Raut stated.

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Lawmakers from the Shinde and Ajit Pawar camps will not be allowed to vote on the “clock” and “bow and arrow” insignia, respectively, and they will need to run for office through the BJP.

The head of the Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed that most of the people who turned against Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray would lose. After Mr. Shinde revolted and toppled Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the Shiv Sena split in June of last year. With the BJP’s backing, Mr. Shinde was elected chief minister.

This year on July 2, Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Shinde government, causing a vertical split in the NCP.