Maharashtra govt has backing of 225 MLAs: Ajit Pawar amid Oppn's calls for dismissal

Ajit Pawar/ X

Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar indicated that the state administration has the support of 225 of the assembly's 288 MLAs, despite opposition calls to fire the Eknath Shinde-led government over worries about law and order.

Per a report in PTI, during a ceremony in Mumbai where Congress leader Baba Siddique joined the Nationalist Congress Party, Pawar responded to the opposition's demand, comparing it to the aftermath of the 26/11 terrorist attacks when a Congress-led coalition was in power. He stated that no such demand was made at the time.

Pawar acknowledged attempts to instil panic about the state's law and order situation but stressed that similar requests were not made during prior crises, like as the 26/11 attacks, the report added.

Ajit Pawar was quoted as saying, "The opposition today demanded dismissal of the government. Our Mahayuti (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance) has the support of 225 MLAs."

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"Attempts are being made by some people to create an atmosphere of fear that there is a breakdown of law and order in the state....when the 26/11 terrorist attacks took place, no such demand was made," Pawar said, per the PTI report.

While expressing the government's support, Pawar acknowledged recent acts of violence, noting that he was neither defending nor justifying them.

Previously, Shiv Sena (UBT) chairman Uddhav Thackeray demanded the government's resignation following the murder of a party leader in Mumbai and another violent event involving a BJP MLA in Thane district.

Recently, Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the law and order situation prevalent in Maharashtra. She had said the state has plunged into a state of "perpetual fear and insecurity".

"The rampant use of firearms to intimidate innocent civilians and public representatives has plunged the state into a perpetual state of fear and insecurity. Despite law and order being a state subject, the Government of Maharashtra's failure to address these recurring incidents reflects a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of its citizens," the Sena (UBT) leader wrote in her letter to HM Shah.

On February 8, Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar was shot dead on a Facebook Live session in Dahisar. The incident happened close to the heels of the Ulhasnagar firing incident wherein Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader Mahesh Gaikwad was shot at by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad inside the cabin of senior police inspector of Hill Line police station in Ulhasnagar.