Sharad Pawar Says Will Take Back Ajit Pawar Camp MLAs, But There's A Rider

Amid speculations that some of the MLAs of the Ajit Pawar camp are willing to return to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-SP, Sharad Pawar on Tuesday clarified that those who wanted to "weaken" the party would not be taken in.

However, the veteran NCP leader added that those MLAs who would not "hurt" the image of the party would be taken back, but after having a word with the party leaders and workers.

Addressing the media in Maharashtra's Mumbai, Sharad Pawar said, "Those who wanted to weaken the party would not be taken in. But those leaders who would help strengthen the organisation and not hurt the image of the party would be taken in."

"However, that too will happen after having a word with the party (NCP-SP) leaders and workers," he added.

Following the Ajit Pawar camp's poor showing in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls, there is growing speculation that some of the MLAs of the camp are willing to return to the NCP-SP ahead of the state assembly polls. The NCP bagged only one of the four seats it contested, whereas the NCP-SP won eight of the 10 seats it contested.

The Mahayuti alliance -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and the NCP -- collectively bagged 17 seats in Maharashtra with the BJP securing nine seats and the Shiv Sena seven.

The leaders of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP were reportedly upset over being offered only a post of Minister of State (MoS) in the Modi 3.0 cabinet.

NCP leader Praful Patel had been offered the post of MoS, however, he turned it down saying that accepting the position of Minister of State with independent charge in the Union Cabinet would be considered a demotion for him, as he was earlier a Cabinet Minister at the centre.

During the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Patel was the cabinet minister for the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Earlier, Ajit Pawar had said that his party is going to wait for the BJP to change its offer.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)