Mumbai, November 24: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), indicating he won't return to his uncle Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Ajit Pawar went on a thanking spree and assured PM Narendra Modi that he will work hard for the welfare of people of Maharashtra. The rebel NCP leader thanked Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, JP Nadda among other BJP leaders. Sharad Pawar Says 8-11 NCP MLAs Hoodwinked to Attend Swearing-in Ceremony of Ajit Pawar.

"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 (sic)," Ajit Pawar replied to PM Modi's congratulatory tweet. He also mentioned himself as Deputy CM of Maharashtra in his Twitter bio. His tweets appeared after NCP Maharashtra chief Jayant Patil and Dilip Wilse Patilheld talks with him in a bid to convince him. During the conversation, Ajit Pawar reportedly told both the leaders that NCP sharing power with BJP is in its better interest. Maharashtra Government Formation: Devendra Fadnavis Gets 24 Hours to Submit Letter of Support.

Ajit Pawar on Thanking Spree:

Earlier today, an NCP leader claimed that Ajit Pawar, who was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday, may resign and MLAs who went with him will return with party supremo Sharad Pawar. "Ajit Pawar may resign by today evening as pressure is building on him following most of the MLAs coming back to Sharad Pawar," the leader told IANS. He added that Sharad Pawar has also sent messages to Ajit Pawar to comeback.

On Saturday morning, Ajit Pawar along with 10-11 MLAs went to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to take oath as the Deputy Chief Minister. Devendra Fadnavis was also sworn in as Chief Minister. Following the surprise oath ceremony, the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena were left stunned, as the three parties were in final round of talks to finalise their alliance in the state to form a government.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 24, 2019 04:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).