Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar supremo Sharad Pawar on Saturday said there was no question of taking back those leaders who had deserted the two parties.
The two leaders were speaking at a joint press conference of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Sena-UBT, the NCP-SP and the Congress, first after the Opposition alliance outperformed the ruling coalition in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra.
An MLA of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, however, pooh-poohed the assertion, stating that nobody was interested in going back.
During the press conference here, both Thackeray and Sharad Pawar said 'there is no question of taking rebel leaders back'.
Reacting to the statement, Sanjay Shirsat, an MLA of the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, said Thackeray should first take care of his own flock.
"Who is going, in the first place? It is not that anybody from our side went to 'Matoshree' (Thackeray's residence) and was thrown out. We have no interest in going back there. They should take care of their people," he said.
The Shiv Sena split in June 2022 after a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who went on to become Maharashtra chief minister, while the Nationalist Congress Party broke into two factions after Ajit Pawar joined the state government along with eight MLAs in July last year.
Following a stellar performance by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Shiv Sena-UBT, the NCP-SP and the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, there is speculation about some leaders from rival factions wanting to return.
During the first press conference of the MVA after Lok Sabha results were announced on June 4, both Thackeray and Sharad Pawar categorically said 'there is no question of taking rebel leaders back'.
In the just concluded Lok Sabha polls, Parner MLA Nilesh Lanke had switched from the Ajit Pawar faction to the one headed by Sharad Pawar and won from Ahmednagar defeating sitting BJP MP Sujay Vikhe Patil.
Similarly, Bajrang Sonawane also left the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and contested the Lok Sabha polls from Beed on an NCP-SP ticket. He defeated former state minister and senior BJP leader Pankaja Munde.
On the other hand, the BJP's tally in the state came down from 23 in the 2019 general elections to nine this time, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP had to be contend with seven and one wins, respectively.
In Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress led with 13 wins, followed by nine for the Shiv Sena-UBT and eight for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP.
There is reportedly discomfort within the NCP and the Shiv Sena, allies of the ruling BJP, after the swearing in of the Narendra Modi government on June 9.
The Ajit Pawar faction was asked to make do with one berth of minister of state with independent charge, which it refused, while only Buldhana MP Prataprao Jadhav of the Shinde-led Sena was included in the Union government as minister of state (independent charge) though the party has seven MPs.
