Not everyone can be CM, wish Ajit Pawar the best: Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis

NASHIK/MUMBAI: A day after NCP leader Ajit Pawar said they were ready to stake claim to the chief minister's post, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis responded by saying there is nothing wrong with anyone wanting to be a CM, but not everyone can become CM.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who has been locked in a war of words with Ajit Pawar, on Saturday said the NCP leader has the ability to become a CM, he has even served a record three times as deputy CM.
Fadnavis said in Nagpur he hadn't seen Pawar's statement, but "there is nothing wrong with anyone aspiring to be a chief minister, many like it but not everyone can. We wish him (Ajit Pawar) all the best".
Many become CM when they don't deserve it: Sanjay Raut
BJP's Devendra Fadnavis, who stunned Maharashtra by taking oath as CM with Ajit Pawar as his deputy on November 23, 2019, in a government that lasted days, on Saturday said "there is nothing wrong with anyone aspiring to be a chief minister, many like it but not everyone can" while asked to react to Ajit Pawar's statement a day earlier about becoming CM. Speaking at Nagpur airport, he added: "I don't know what is going on within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. I have repeatedly said they are calling it Vajra Muth but that Muth has many cracks, it can never be Vajra Muth."
On Friday, Ajit Pawar speaking at a Saakal function in Pune had said he does not have to wait for the 2024 state elections to become CM. "Why 2024, even now we are prepared for the post. In 2004, with the numbers that people gave, NCP got the post of chief minister. But in politics, many decisions are taken by the top leadership and discipline is maintained in the party, so we listen to what leadership says," Ajit Pawar said.
Pawar's statements assume significance as in political circles there is wide discussion on Pawar cosying up to BJP.
Raut said Ajit holds the record for becoming deputy CM the most number of times. "No one would not like to be the chief minister. Ajit Pawar has the ability to become chief minister. He has been in politics for many years and was also a minister for many years. Ajit Pawar holds the record of being deputy chief minister for the most number of times. So everyone thinks that he should become chief minister. Many gamble and become chief ministers when they don't deserve it too, by disruption. If fate has it, then they come. This is not the first time that Ajit Pawar has expressed his desire for the post of chief minister. So my best wishes to Ajit Pawar," Raut said, in a clear dig at CM Eknath Shinde.
Pawar said in 2004, NCP had an alliance with Congress. "Congress got 69 seats and we got 71, and Congress was preparing to take the post of deputy chief minister but I don't know what happened in Delhi. Later we got an order that we will have to take the post of deputy chief minister for which MLAs voted with full majority," Ajit Pawar said. On Saturday, Raut was in Jalgaon to oversee arrangements for Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's rally at Pachora on Sunday. It is the constituency of Kishor Patil, 1 of 5 Sena MLAs from Jalgaon who backed Shinde. (With Abhishek Choudhari)