Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday claimed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar will not make the "mistake" of joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party, like his nephew Ajit Pawar.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra last month as the deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP MLAs also took oath as cabinet ministers along with him.

Sharad Pawar's party is a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state along with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress.

"Ajit Pawar can truly be a big leader if he forms his own political party and contests elections. Ajit Pawar's politics will collapse like a sand castle if he does the same with help of the BJP, like Eknath Shinde did. In politics, towers matter and not sand castles," Raut wrote in his weekly column Rokhthok in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

Ajit Pawar grew politically because of his uncle and is now working to finish off his (uncle's) political career, alleged Raut, who is the executive editor of Saamana.

Sharad Pawar has taken a firm stand against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his meeting with Ajit Pawar, the Rajya Sabha member noted.

"(Sharad) Pawar feels that supporting Modi is like supporting regressive forces and those who have left his party will see their political careers ending in future. Pawar will not make the mistake of joining hands with the BJP. The issue is not about individuals, but democracy versus dictatorship," he claimed.

Raut said the meeting between Pawars (on August 5) may not have been political because Sharad Pawar, who heads a number of institutions in the agriculture, cooperative and education fields, had given many responsibilities to his nephew.

The meetings may be to decide the future of these institutions, he said.

Raut likened Ajit Pawar to a "carpenter bird" who will "make holes" in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's chair, and claimed it is certain that (deputy CM and BJP leader) Devendra Fadnavis will give strength to the bird.

"Ajit Pawar wants to be chief minister and BJP MLAs who support Fadnavis feel Shinde is now a burden and the party (BJP) is at a loss. Shinde's claim that he has been assured of being the chief minister after 2024 is not true because in that case Ajit Pawar wouldn't have been brought in," Raut claimed.

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