NCP MLA Dharmarao Atram Claims Five NCP SP MPs Will Defect to Ajit Pawar Faction
On Thursday, Nationalist Party (NCP) MLA Dharmarao Atram, who hails from Gadchiroli district, claimed during a statement in Mumbai that five Lok Sabha MPs from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) faction are set to defect to the ruling Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction by December. The rival NCP (SP) immediately rejected the assertion, calling it completely baseless.
Atram, a former minister in the Eknath Shinde government, asserted that the opposition MPs are looking to switch sides to secure development for their respective constituencies. He stated that the defection would take place before the end of the year.
"Everybody wants to return by doing developmental works. At least five Lok Sabha MPs will come to us by December 12," Atram said. He added that people have trust in the leadership of Sunetra Pawar and have realized they must join the ruling faction to bring development to their areas.
The claim was made shortly after Sunetra Pawar and Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. While the official details of the meeting were not made public, NCP party sources indicated that the discussions may have been linked to the party's demand for the Finance portfolio in Maharashtra.
However, leaders from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) strongly dismissed the claims of an impending defection. NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar pointed out that Atram’s own daughter is currently affiliated with the NCP (SP).
"There is no question of our MPs going anywhere. I don’t see that happening as it won’t be as easy as it sounds to many," Rohit Pawar said.
Madha MP Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil also rubbished Atram's claim, stating that it would never turn out to be true.
The NCP (SP) currently holds eight seats in the Lok Sabha. Its MPs include Supriya Sule from Baramati, Amol Kolhe from Shirur, Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil from Madha, Amar Kale from Wardha, Bajrang Sonwane from Beed, Nilesh Lanke from Ahilyanagar, Bhaskar Bhagre from Dindori, and Suresh Mhatre from Bhiwandi. Under anti-defection provisions, a minimum of six MPs would need to defect together to avoid disqualification.
