Praful Patel said, "NCP was going to partner with BJP in 2022, but

Praful Patel, a leader affiliated with the Ajit Pawar faction within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), conveyed on Thursday that a significant portion of NCP leaders expressed their willingness, in 2022, to participate in a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra. This inclination arose following a division within the Shiv Sena, which subsequently resulted in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

Patel, representing the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, disclosed, "In June, when Eknath Shinde orchestrated the division in Shiv Sena and aligned with the BJP, 51 NCP MLAs were inclined to join the BJP-led coalition to establish a government in Maharashtra. NCP leaders communicated this to the party chief, Sharad Pawar," during his participation in the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2023.

Furthermore, Patel clarified, "Our intention was not to have Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister. We simply aimed to be a part of the BJP-led government."

Regarding Sharad Pawar's response to this proposition, Patel revealed that Pawar cautioned NCP leaders against conducting public meetings with Union Minister Amit Shah to avoid attracting media attention and suggested that they convene privately.

"However, after 2-3 days, Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the Chief Minister. We had expected Devendra Fadnavis to assume the role of Chief Minister," Praful Patel recounted. He explained that this development was the reason behind the NCP's decision to abstain from joining the BJP-led government in Maharashtra at that particular time.

When questioned about the identity of the 'authentic NCP,' Praful Patel deferred to the Election Commission to make that determination.

On July 2, Ajit Pawar initiated a schism within the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and assumed the role of deputy chief minister in the Eknath Shinde government. Eight additional NCP MLAs, including staunch Sharad Pawar loyalists like Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, also joined the Maharashtra government and were appointed as ministers.