Eknath Shinde's alliance with BJP didn't serve purpose even after 10 months: Ajit Pawar

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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar took a jibe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over his alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that the purpose of their alliance doesn't seem to be served.

"It's been 10 months since Shinde joined hands with BJP but the purpose of their alliance doesn't seem to be served," he said on Sunday while addressing a media gathering.

The leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly outrightly rejected speculations that someone from NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) is in touch with any other party and also reiterated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is strong and that there is no problem in the alliance.

"MVA is strong together. Neither anyone from the NCP is in contact with any party nor anyone from any other party is in touch with us," he said.

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Ajit Pawar's statement comes after Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant, without naming anyone, claimed that big leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the NCP are in touch with Shinde.

"A number of big leaders from these three parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in touch with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde," he said, addressing a press conference in Mumbai. However, the NCP leader also refused the rumours of him parting his ways from the party and joining the BJP.

It is petinent to mention that Eknath Shinde alongwith over 40 MLAs, broke away from the erstwhile Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray in June last year, ultimately toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.

On February 17, the Election Commission allotted the Sena's signature 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Shinde camp and ruled further that the rival faction will henceforth go by the name 'Shiv Sena'.