No 'politics' in Pawar's dinner meet with Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis

Ahead of the Mumbai Cricket Association elections, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar will meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis for “dinner” in Mumbai today (October 19), said media reports.

This is not a political move, said both sides. They asserted that it was more about several leaders from different political parties coming together just to “celebrate cricket”.

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BJP sources told The Indian Express that Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and NCP president Sharad Pawar, along with others, will have dinner at Garware Club in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. Brushing aside anything ‘political’ about the dinner plans, Fadnavis’ close aide said that Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is a highly prestigious association, and Fadnavis and Pawar were having dinner to discuss about MCA.

This meeting is “purely in the context of sports. Don’t read politics in such events”, he told the newspaper.

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Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar congratulated Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on being elected as the new Congress president and said he was looking forward to working with him for forging unity among Opposition parties. Both Kharge and Pawar are Rajya Sabha members.