NCP leader (Ajit Pawar faction) Praful Patel said that in 2022, it was clear that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will collapse when Eknath Shinde had taken 40 MLAs to Surat and Guwahati. Furthermore, he expressed his feelings towards NCP chief Sharad Pawar and said, “He is our mentor and guru, we will always respect and regard him and his position, he is a father figure to all of us.” He said, “In 2022, when Eknath Shinde had taken 40 MLAs to Surat and Guwahati, it was sure the MVA govt will collapse, as a consequence, there were 51 MLAs of the NCP who at that time, clearly felt that we should be part of the govt... there is no ideological difference, if we have gone with Shiv Sena, then we can definitely go with the BJP. Sharad Pawar is our mentor and Guru...we will always respect and regard him and his position, he is a father figure to all of us. We are using his picture not out of disrespect, but we are showing our reverence towards him”.