Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar has offered party MLAs ministerial posts if they switch sides and support the Bharatiya Janata Party, a group of MLAs told party chief Sharad Pawar at a meeting in a Mumbai hotel on Sunday.
Sharad Pawar along with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray met the legislators of the NCP at Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai's Powai.
They told the duo that they were getting calls from Ajit Pawar, offering them ministerial posts.
The MLAs told Pawar senior about the offers when the NCP chief asked the legislators whether they are facing any problem in the emerging political situation in the state.
"Do not worry. This relationship will go long. Our alliance will go a long way," the sources quoted Uddhav as telling the MLAs.
Soon after meeting the MLAs, Pawar and Thackeray held a closed-door discussion at Renaissance Hotel where NCP MLAs have been put up after Ajit Pawar chose to support the BJP in government formation.
Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Raut, Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai, and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare were among the leaders who were present during the meeting with the MLAs.
Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, also the nephew of Sharad Pawar, said the BJP and he will ensure a stable government in the state.
"Thank you Hon. Prime Minister @narendramodi ji. We will ensure a stable Government that will work hard for the welfare of the people of Maharashtra," he tweeted while replying to Prime Minister Modi's tweet wishing him for taking oath as Deputy Chief Minister.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court, while hearing a joint plea by NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena, asked chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, his deputy Ajit Pawar, and the Centre to produce relevant documents and letters of support from MLAs by 10 am on Monday.
In a surprise move on Saturday morning, Fadnavis and Ajit took oath as chief minister and deputy chief minister of the state.
Soon after the swearing-in, Sharad Pawar had said that Ajit's decision to support the BJP was a "personal decision" and not supported by the NCP.
Ajit was later sacked as the NCP's legislator party leader, stripping his rights to issue a whip to the party MLAs.
The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by the Shiv Sena 56, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44.
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