Uddhav meets Pawar; NCP questions 'presence of cops'

Mumbai/New Delhi: The new-found bonhomie between the NCP and Shiv Sena was on display on Sunday after Uddhav Thackeray met Sharad Pawar at a Mumbai luxury hotel where NCP MLAs were lodged amid the high ongoing political drama in Maharashtra.

A video of two police officials in civvies present in a Mumbai suburban hotel, where NCP MLAs are put up, being "questioned" by a party leader has gone viral. The video shows party MLA Jitendra Awhad and workers asking the policemen about their business in hotel Renaissance in Powai.

The legislators were moved to the hotel on Saturday night, hours after senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP and took oath as Deputy Chief Minister. When Awhad asked one of the policemen the reason behind their presence at the hotel, he replied they were just "sitting there". Awhad even examined the identity card of the official. "Such a high-ranking officer is sitting here for no reason? Do you think we are fools," he asked further. The MLAs were later moved to Hotel Hyatt on Sunday evening.

Earlier in the day, NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would work hard for people of the state.

The Sena-NCP bonhomie was also seen after Shiv Sena leaders Eknath Shinde and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's Man Friday Milind Narvekar on Saturday caught Sanjay Bansod, NCP MLA from Udgir, who was set to fly out of Mumbai. There was speculation that he was on his way to Delhi. The buzz on social media was Bansod was "missing". The Sena-Congress-NCP combine had moved the Supreme Court on Saturday demanding that the floor test be held within 24 hours. However, the Apex Court on Sunday said it would deal with the matter on Monday. Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar is said to have offered party MLAs ministerial posts if they switch sides and support the BJP, a group of them said at a meeting in a Mumbai hotel on Sunday evening.