Amid speculation of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and rebel Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar being reportedly ‘upset’ with the tripartite Eknath Shinde-led government, senior NCP leader (Ajit Pawar faction) Praful Patel on Sunday clarified that Mr. Ajit had been diagnosed with dengue and was taking rest.
Mr. Patel, a key leader of the rebel NCP faction which joined the Shinde government on July 2, said in a post on microblogging site X (formerly Twitter), “Contrary to speculative media reports suggesting that Ajit Pawar is not attending public events, I would like to clarify that he has been diagnosed with dengue since yesterday and has been advised medical guidance and rest for the next few days. Mr. Ajit remains committed to his public service responsibilities. Once he has fully recovered, he will be back in full force to continue his dedicated public duties.”
Earlier this week, Mr. Ajit was present throughout Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Shirdi in Ahmednagar district. However, his absence from Cabinet meetings again sparked rumours of friction with his allies – the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.
