Mumbai, July 15 (IANS) Intense political speculation erupted in Maharashtra following a late-night meeting on Tuesday at ‘Varsha’ — the official residence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting involved NCP(SP) leader and MLA Jayant Patil with the CM. However, on Wednesday Patil dismissed all speculation and clarified the actual context of the meeting.

Patil explained that his visit was strictly related to a constituency-specific administrative issue regarding a demolition threat. “I sought an appointment with the Chief Minister regarding a local issue in my constituency. I requested some of the CM’s time,” Patil stated.

He further clarified the sequence of events at the CM’s residence. He said that he arrived at ‘Varsha’ but had to wait in the hall as the Chief Minister was tied up with prior engagements.

Once CM Fadnavis arrived, he mentioned being highly occupied with back-to-back meetings. Patil presented his case in a brief 5-to-10-minute meeting. The Chief Minister assured him that he would look into the matter.

He added that the issue falls under the Urban Development Department, which is handled by the Chief Minister’s office. He had initially tried to contact Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, but the latter’s phone was switched off as he had travelled to Delhi. Consequently, Patil said he decided to meet the CM directly.

Patil asserted that he did not meet or hold discussions with NCP leaders Sunil Tatkare or Praful Patel. He stated that if such a meeting had occurred, he would have openly admitted it. He completely ruled out any talks of a party merger or political realignment, emphasising that such discussions have completely ceased.

“We are all united behind Sharad Pawar. It saddens me that the media continuously cooks up such speculative stories,” Patil remarked.

To a question, whether he was in the running for the state’s Finance Minister post, Patil laughed off the query. “I haven’t given it a single thought, so why are you projecting so far ahead? Portfolio allocation is the sole prerogative of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. By speculating like this, you are trying to bypass the Chief Minister’s authority,” Patil responded.

Patil also addressed rumours regarding a recent meeting with BJP leader Vinod Tawde. He explained that the encounter was entirely casual and the meeting took place during a Parliamentary Committee gathering. NCP MP Supriya Sule was also present, he added. Patil noted that they merely shared a cup of coffee during the event, and there was no political agenda behind it.

When questioned about the upcoming Delimitation Bill and the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal in Parliament, Patil deferred the decision-making to the party’s central leadership.

Patil highlighted that their group of eight MPs is led by Supriya Sule, who will formulate the party’s official stance on these Bills.

He noted that Sule has always been a strong advocate for women’s representation, and the decision will be made at her level.

“These Bills are coming up in Parliament. Since I am a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), I cannot interfere. Our working president will decide the party’s official position,” Patil concluded.

–IANS

sj/rad