On Monday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar denied statements made by his uncle, NCP SP President Sharad Pawar, that the party would have split if Chhagan Bhujbal had been appointed Chief Minister in 2004.

Speaking at a party meeting to review the India General Elections 2024 strategy and discuss plans for the upcoming state assembly elections in October, Ajit Pawar stated that if Bhujbal had been elected Chief Minister in 2004, the NCP would have retained the position throughout the Congress-NCP alliance government's tenure in Maharashtra, reported IANS.