20-22 MLAs of Sunetra Pawar-led NCP may leave party anytime: Sanjay Raut

Amid the renewed buzz about the merger of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that 20 to 22 MLAs of the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP could break away.

Talking to reporters, Raut said NCP MLAs visiting NCP(SP) president Sharad Pawar were not having just casual chats, and hinted that there was more to these meetings.

He further claimed that after Ajit Pawar's death, NCP legislators had been reduced to "being slaves".

"20 to 22 MLAs of Sunetra Pawar's party can break away anytime....If they return to their parental home (Sharad Pawar-led NCP), then it is not a merger. Or they may join some other party before the polls," Raut added.

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On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the NCP merger cannot happen without consulting the BJP.

To this, Raut said this was not applicable to Sharad Pawar's party.

On the Gokul Dairy polls, Raut said the developments in the Kolhapur-based milk cooperative were detrimental to democracy.

NCP leader Rajesh Patil, a candidate of the ruling Mahayuti, on Tuesday won the highly controversial election to the post of chairman of Gokul Dairy after the state government nominated four additional directors with voting rights to the dairy's board.

Mahayuti ministers stooped to a low level during the entire affair, Raut said, and warned that "all days are not same in politics".

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Victory was snatched from Congress MLC Satej Patil's panel which had won a majority in the last month's election, Raut said.

On Fadnavis' remark that he was backing Gokul Dairy and not any individual, Raut said in that case he would not have brought in a law to appoint four government-nominated directors.