MVA government could be formed in 2019 because Ajit Pawar was made Dy CM: Sunil Tatkare

Had there been a secret ballot at the time of the confidence vote, the government would not have crossed the majority, said Tatkare, who heads the Maharashtra unit of the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government comprising the Shiv Sena Undivided, NCP, and Congress, won a floor test with the support of 169 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly in July 2020.Ajit Pawar was part of the NCP headed by Sharad Pawar at that time.

Senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday claimed the MVA government under Uddhav Thackeray could't have been formed in November 2019 if Ajit Pawar was not made deputy chief minister in the erstwhile dispensation. Speaking to reporters here, he also claimed that the then government wouldn't have crossed a majority mark during the floor test had a secret ballot been held at that time. ''If Ajit Pawar was not made deputy chief minister at the time of the formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi, the government wouldn't have formed at all. ''Had there been a secret ballot at the time of the confidence vote, the government would not have crossed the majority,'' said Tatkare, who heads the Maharashtra unit of the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government comprising the Shiv Sena (Undivided), NCP, and Congress, won a floor test with the support of 169 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly in July 2020.

Ajit Pawar was part of the NCP headed by Sharad Pawar at that time. He joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government with eight MLAs in July last year, and staked claim to the party name and symbol. Tatkare also said Ajit Pawar had become the leader of the opposition after Eknath Shinde became the chief minister in June 2022 with the support of MLAs.

Responding to a query on the hearing of disqualification petitions filed against Ajit Pawar and MLAs loyal to him before the assembly speaker, Tatkare said, ''Our case is different from that of Shiv Sena. No whip was issued in our case''.