Mumbai/New Delhi: As the special session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly commenced here on Wednesday, all eyes were on NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who last week rebelled against his party to support the BJP to form government but resigned as Deputy Chief Minister on Tuesday.
As Ajit Pawar entered the Vidhan Bhavan premises on Wednesday morning, his cousin and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule greeted him with a warm hug.
Sule, the daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, was standing at the Vidhan Bhavan's entrance to greet her party legislators.
Speaking to reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises, Ajit Pawar said: "I was and am still with the NCP. I never left the party."
Pawar said joining hands with the BJP could not be termed a revolt as he has always been a member of the NCP. He reiterated that he would abide by whatever party chief Sharad Pawar says.
"It was not a revolt. I was the leader of NCP. Did NCP remove me? Did you read (about my removal from NCP) somewhere?" Ajit Pawar told reporters.
After he "revolted" against the party to back a BJP government led by Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, a visibly moved Sule in her WhatsApp status then said the Pawar family and the party had split.
"Who do you trust in life. Never felt so cheated in life. Defended him, loved him. Look what I get in return," she had said in another status post, about Ajit Pawar.
A special session of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly commenced here on Wednesday to administer the oath to the newly-elected members.
The newly-elected members could not take oath earlier even one month after the results of the Assembly polls were announced due to dramatic political developments in the state.
The state remained under the President's Rule for 13 days between November 12 and 23 after no political party was able to form a government.