Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said that the NCP leader Ajit Pawar was capable of becoming Maharashtra chief minister since he has vast administrative experience.
“Who would not like to be chief minister? And Ajit Pawar is capable of becoming chief minister. He has been in politics for so many years now and has been minister several times. He holds a record for having served as deputy CM for the most number of times. Everyone thinks one should become CM,” Raut said while interacting with mediapersons on Saturday.
Raut’s statement comes a day after Pawar, during an interview with a media house in Pune, responded to a query on his chief ministerial ambitions by saying “yes, I would 100 per cent like to be (CM)”.
Raut: My best wishes to him
Queried on this, Raut said, “He (Pawar) has not expressed this desire for the first time. So my best wishes to him.”
Raut’s statement is being seen as his attempt to reconcile with Ajit Pawar who is angry with Raut for fanning the speculation about him trying to break away from his party and attempting forming a government along with the BJP by writing about it in his weekly column. They had a bitter spat of words over the issue. Pawar, in an attempt to dodge a question about this spat in Pune, had asked “Who is Raut?” after which Raut appears to have started his efforts to reconcile with the former deputy Chief Minister.
Raut's flip flops are continuing to embarrass the Shiv Sena (UBT). Soon after his release from the Arthur Road jail, he had praised deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. In fact, several Shiv Sainiks (UBT) had advised Uddhav Thackeray to restrain Raut. However, Thackeray seems to be using the M.P. to his political covenience.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
