Top NCP leaders deny any realignment with the BJP, but their recent moves suggest they are keeping their options open in case of a political exigency
ISSUE DATE: May 1, 2023 | UPDATED: Apr 22, 2023 12:14 IST
In June 2022, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who was the urban development minister in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by his party president Uddhav Thackeray, sprung a surprise by walking out with 39 other Sena legislators. He later became the chief minister in a coalition government with the BJP. Ten months later, there is speculation whether the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is part of the MVA’s rainbow coalition, may see another ‘Shinde’ emerge from its ranks.