NCP Will Not Go With BJP Although Some 'Well-Wishers' Are Trying To Persuade Me: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday asserted that his party will not go with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) though some "well-wishers" are trying to persuade him.

"As the national president of the NCP, I am making it clear that my party (NCP) will not go with the BJP. Any association with the Bharatiya Janata Party does not fit in NCP's political policy," he said.

"Some of us (Ajit Pawar-led NCP group) have taken a different stand. Some of our well-wishers are trying to see if there can be any change in our stand. That is why they are trying to have a cordial discussion with us," he said without taking names.

Queried about his "secret" meeting in Pune on Saturday with his nephew and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who is part of the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra, the senior Pawar said, "I want to tell you a fact that he is my nephew. What is wrong with meeting my nephew? If a senior person in a family desires to meet another family member, there should not be any issue with that."

The NCP chief also said that people will hand over the reins of the state to Maha Vikas Aghadi- comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, and Congress.

It has to be noted that the Pawar senior shared the stage with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in Solapur district to unveil the statue of late MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh on Sunday.