The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday claimed that Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar, who was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Sunday, would replace current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde soon.
Speaking to reporters, MP Sanjay Raut said that Shinde will be removed from the CM post and 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs will also be disqualified.
"Today I am saying this in front of the camera, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is going to change. Eknath Shinde is being removed. Eknath Shinde and the 16 MLAs are going to be disqualified," Sanjay Raut said.
"The BJP is breaking Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress but this will not benefit them at all. In Maharashtra, we will fight the 2024 polls together. It is shocking that PM Modi had said that the leaders of NCP are involved in corruption and now those leaders have taken oath in Raj Bhawan," he further said.
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Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister on Sunday, effectively causing a vertical split in NCP. Eight NCP leaders were also sworn in as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Sharad Pawar on Sunday said it was not the NCP's decision to align with the BJP-Shiv Sena government and said action would be taken against leaders who violated the party line.
He also took a swipe at the BJP saying this development was not a "googly" but a "robbery".
