Ajit Pawar thanks Modi, assures him of stable government

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would work hard for the people of the state.

NCP sources said this was an indication that the nephew of party chief Sharad Pawar had spurned all efforts to persuade him to rescind his shocking move to back the BJP.

Ajit Pawar also changed his Twitter bio to 'Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra' and 'Nationalist Congress Party Leader'.

Modi on Saturday congratulated Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for taking oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra respectively, and expressed confidence that the two will work for the state's development.

Responding to Modi's congratulatory message after his sudden swearing in as Dy CM on Saturday, Ajit Pawar in a tweet thanked the Prime Minister.

"Thank you Hon Prime Minister @narendramodi ji. We will ensure a stable Government that will work hard for the welfare of the people of Maharashtra," he tweeted.

He also thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah, other central ministers Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Smriti Irani, Rajnath Singh, Piyush Goyal, BJP working president J P Nadda and other BJP leaders for their good wishes on his taking charge as the deputy chief minister.

Earlier, NCP leaders Jayant Patil and Dilip Walse Patil called on Ajit Pawar in the morning to persuade him to reconsider his decision.