Days after NCP leader Ajit Pawar claimed in an interview that industrialist Gautam Adani hosted the meeting that split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into two factions, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis denied Ajit Pawar’s allegations on Friday, November 15.

In an interview with Newslaundry and The News Minute’s Sreenivasan Jain, Ajit Pawar sparked a political storm in the state, putting the BJP and its allies on the defensive ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for November 20. 

Ajit Pawar stated that the meeting, which took place at Adani’s residence, was attended by Amit Shah and Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s political mentor turned rival.

However, he later claimed that he had made a mistake and meant to say, “Adani was not there,” after a video of his revelation went viral. 

In a follow-up, Sreenivasan Jain also spoke to Sharad Pawar, who confirmed that the meeting did indeed occur in Adani’s presence.

With the Narendra Modi-led central government and the BJP facing increasing scrutiny over their alleged close ties with the industrialists, opposition parties seize the opportunity to leverage this revelation in their Maharashtra Assembly campaign.