BJP trying to break its allies NCP and Shiv Sena, claims NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar

Pune, Oct 30 (PTI) Nationalist Congress Party (SP) general secretary Rohit Pawar on Thursday claimed the BJP was trying to break its own allies Shiv Sena and the NCP in Maharashtra by inducting their leaders.

The Opposition party MLA alleged that the BJP, heading the Mahayuti government in the state, has launched "Operation Lotus Part 2" to lure leaders from the Shiv Sena and the NCP, and bring them into its fold.

The Shiv Sena and the NCP, headed by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, respectively, are constituents of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

"The first Operation Lotus was about breaking (Sharad) Pawar saheb's party (undivided NCP) and Uddhav Thackeray's party (united Shiv Sena). But Operation Lotus Part 2 is about breaking the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

"Yesterday, we saw some former MLAs and NCP leaders from Solapur joining the BJP. Similarly, some leaders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena have also joined the BJP in Marathwada," the legislator said while speaking to reporters in Pune.

The NCP (SP) politician maintained that a time will come when Ajit Pawar and Shinde will return to their original fold.

The united Shiv Sena and the NCP split in 2022 and 2023, respectively, when Shinde and Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP along with the MLAs supporting them. PTI SPK RSY