Need to be second-largest party in BMC after Shiv Sena: NCP leader Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that Nationalist Congress Party workers should work hard, to try "come second in the upcoming BMC elections" which is scheduled to take place in 2022, adding that the first place is reserved for the Shiv Sena.

"Shiv Sena is the number one party in BMC and they should remain there as they are our alliance partners but NCP should try come second in the upcoming BMC elections," Pawar said while addressing the NCP convention.

He also told the NCP workers that there should be no "misconceptions or misunderstandings" about their alliance partner in the state, Shiv Sena, as they have to "contest elections together."

"NCP workers should not have misconceptions or misunderstandings about our partners because in the coming days we have to contest elections together," he said.

The BMC elections are scheduled to take place in 2022. Currently, Shiv Sena is the ruling party in the BMC with 92 Corporators. Congress has 30 Corporators, and NCP has 9.

Last month, putting their ideological differences aside, the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena coalition formed the government in Maharashtra.

On November 23, NCP leader Ajit Pawar had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister under then BJP Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the two-man government could last just 80 hours as Pawar resigned. 

BJP and Shiv Sena fought the elections together and had a comfortable majority to form the government but the two parties didn't reach any consensus on the '50-50 formula' that led to the break-up of ties.