Narendra Modi’s Swearing-In Ceremony, NCP, Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar: Ajit Pawar Displeased with Offer of Minister with Independent Charge

Praful Patel has served as a cabinet minister in the Central government. During the erstwhile UPA government under the leadership of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Patel was the cabinet minister for the Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises department.

Mr Pawar, the NCP chief, mentioned that they did not feel right in taking Minister of State with Independent charge and hence declined the offer from the BJP. Mr Pawar also shared that they had been invited to the oath-taking ceremony at 7:15 as part of the NDA.

He explained that his party reasoned with the BJP leadership that in a few months, they would have four members in parliament so they should get a Cabinet berth. The NCP chief, Mr Pawar, met with Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and Nadda and discussed the Lok Sabha results in Maharashtra.

They requested a Cabinet berth based on their growing number of MPs. The BJP initially accepted their reasoning but later offered a Minister of State with Independent charge, which the NCP rejected.

Praful Patel emphasized that accepting the position of Minister of State with Independent charge would be considered a demotion for him, having previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Union Government. He informed the BJP leadership of their stance.

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the BJP’s performance in Maharashtra declined to nine seats, while the Congress secured 13 seats in the state. The NDA’s total tally stood at 17 seats, with the BJP’s score much lower compared to its performance in previous elections.

The Congress saw a significant increase in its seat count, posing stiff competition. *(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.

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