Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday assured that despite the opposition's absence from the pre-session meeting, the government would strive to run the session smoothly. Maharashtra's Budget Session will begin on Monday and conclude on March 26.
"The opposition did not attend the meeting today ahead of the Budget Session. The opposition has sent us a letter...we will definitely try to run this session smoothly," said Pawar.
The State Budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 will be presented in both Houses of the legislature on March 10 by Ajit Pawar, who also holds the portfolio of Finance and Planning.
During the Budget Session, the Legislative Assembly will continue working on March 8, a public holiday.
Maharashtra's top leaders, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, held a joint press conference on Sunday, the eve of the Maharashtra Budget Session. The session, scheduled to start on March 3, is expected to be crucial, with the opposition already sending a letter to the government.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde accused the previous Maha Vikas Agahdi government of stalling many development projects and asserted that the Mahayuti will remain intact.
"This is the second session of our government. Only we (Devendra Fadnavis and I) have changed roles. But yes, Ajit Dada's role is constant...We have started many projects which the MVA government stopped. Ajit Dada will present the Maharashtra budget.
In a lighter moment, Shinde jokingly dismissed the idea of a "cold war" within the government and expressed confidence in the government's unity.
"No matter how many breaking news you give, we (Mahayuti) will not break. What is cold war? There is nothing like that. In this scorching heat of Maharashtra... how is a cold war possible?..," Shinde said.
