Maharashtra political crisis: BJP flew 3 NCP MLAs to Delhi in chartered plane on Saturday, claims party spokesperson Nawab Malik

Mumbai: The NCP on Sunday night claimed three MLAs, who among others had attended swearing-in of Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister on Saturday, were flown to Delhi in a chartered plane by the BJP the same day. NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said the three MLAs have said that they are with the party. He said while Daulat Daroda and Nitin Pawar have sent video messages saying they are with the NCP, another MLA Narhari Zirwal’s message was shared on the twitter handle of the NCP. [caption id=“attachment_7695061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  NCP leader Nawab Malik addresses the media in Mumbai. PTI[/caption] Daroda, Pawar and Zirwal represent Shahapur, Kalwan and Dindori assembly constituencies, respectively. “Daulat Daroda, Nitin Pawar and Narhari Zirwal were taken to Delhi by the BJP in a chartered plane yesterday,” Malik said, adding that “Pawar and Daroda have sent us their video messages saying they are with the party”. Earlier in the day, Malik said that apart from the three MLAs, Babasaheb Patil (Ahmedpur), Anil Patil (Amalner) were reported ‘missing’. While Anil Patil tweeted that he is with the NCP, video messages of Babasaheb Patil, Pawar and Zirwal were shared on the twitter handle of the NCP. Malik said these MLAs will be back in the party soon. Malik had taken to Twitter and tagged Anil Patil’s tweet in which the latter said he continues to be part of the NCP and expressed faith in the leadership of Sharad Pawar. In the tweet, Patil said he went to the Raj Bhawan since Ajit Pawar was the legislature party leader. “I wasn’t aware about what was going to happen at the Raj Bhawan. I am with Sharad Pawar,” Patil said in the tweet. Earlier on Saturday, Daroda’s family filed a missing person complaint with police. According to sources, more than 45 NCP legislators, including Sharad Pawar’s grand nephew Rohit Pawar, were shifted to a suburban hotel in Mumbai to ward off any poaching bid. The party had won 54 seats in the Assembly elections held in October this year. In a dramatic development on Saturday, Devendra Fadnavis returned as chief minister for a second time propped up by Ajit Pawar, who was made his deputy, just hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress reached a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate. After President’s Rule was lifted on early Saturday, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at a hush hush ceremony. The BJP and the Sena, which fought the last month’s Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats, respectively. The Congress won 44 seats. The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister’s post. The Sena, Congress, NCP and the BJP are guarding their flock of MLAs at different hotels in Mumbai in view of impending floor test. In the 288-member House, the BJP will have to prove support of 145 MLAs to remain in power.