Opinion of a spokesperson, says Ajit Pawar on Sanjay Raut's remarks on MVA

Nationalist Congress Party NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Monday virtually snubbed Shiv Sena UBT spokesperson Sanjay Raut over his statement that the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA alliance will exist till Uddhav Thackeray wishes reported the PTISpeaking to reporters Ajit Pawar said that generally the party with the maximum number of seats gets the post of the Leader of the Opposition according to the PTIHe was asked if the NCP would stake the claim to the post of opposition leader in the Maharashtra Council in view of Shiv Sena UBT MLC Manisha Kayande joining Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath ShindeSpeaking at the Shiv Sena UBT plenary in Mumbai on Sunday Sanjay Raut said the MVA alliance will exist till Uddhav Thackeray desiresResponding to a query on Sanjay Rauts remarks Ajit Pawar said That was the opinion of their Shiv SenaUBTs spokesperson but I think the final decision about the alliance lies with NCP chief Sharad Pawar Sonia Gandhi though Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Uddhav Thackeray according to the PTIHe said the three parties Shiv Sena UBT NCP and Congress came together after the 2019 elections otherwise a government would not have been formedBe it NCP Congress or Shiv Sena or any political party they have the right to expand their party base But while doing this as a part of MVA it should not happen that others BJP and Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena benefit the senior NCP leader added reported the PTIWhen asked if NCP would stake a claim for the post of Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ajit Pawar said Whatever you are asking me we have not yet decided anything on it but since you have brought this to our notice we will think over it as per the PTIAs per the Maharashtra legislature as on February 8 2023 the BJP has the highest 22 MLCs in the 78member Council followed by 11 of Shiv Sena The NCP has 9 MLCs Congress 8 while three belong to smaller parties and 4 Independents 21 seats are lying vacantTwo MLCs of Shiv Sena UBT Kayande and Viplove Bajoria have joined the Shinde campManisha Kayande is not expelled by her parent party Her term as an MLC expires in July 2024Queried whether any meeting has been convened to discuss this issue Pawar said the NCPs June 21 meet was planned earlier and it has no connection with the recent developmentWe wanted to organise a meeting in Ahmednagar on June 9 but it was postponed due to rain Now we have kept the meeting of selective invitees on June 21 which will be related to Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council said Ajit Pawar the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly according to the PTIHe expressed concern over the delayed monsoon and the lack of water for irrigating cropsThe demand for tankers is high in regions like Konkan The delayed onset of monsoon will affect sugar mills in the state the former deputy chief minister addedwith PTI inputs