Key Points

"Many leaders have joined the party. Those who have joined the party have worked in various positions - some are former MLAs. Some are officials associated with cooperative institutions. They have been welcomed wholeheartedly. Efforts are on to expand our party," Pawar told reporters on Sunday.

The induction of Deokar and Patil, who are said to be close aids of Sharad Pawar, is being seen as Ajit Pawar trying to strengthen his party's hold in north Maharashtra, posing a challenge to its rival party - Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).

The leaders from the NCP (Sharad Pawar) led by Deokar joined Ajit Pawar's NCP in Mumbai, including former Jalgaon Guardian Minister Satish Patil, former MLAS Dilip Sonwane, Kailash Patil, and Sharad Patil.

Recently, Pawar also spoke about the caste census approved by the Centre, saying that it would aid in policy making and help understand the composition of different sections of society.

"The demand for caste-based census has been longstanding, as it helps in understanding the composition of different sections of society and aids in policy-making decisions. Considering this, the Union Cabinet has made the decision. Personally, at the state government and NCP levels, I extend my gratitude to Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah, and the entire Cabinet for this decision. The opposition has always argued that if a good decision is taken, it is attributed to electoral motives; and if no decision is taken, they claim the government fails to act. But that is their approach. Now tell me - Lok Sabha elections are still 4.5 years away, with only some assembly elections in between," the Maharashtra Deputy CM said.

On Wednesday (April 30), the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census.

Earlier, Dy CM Pawar described the recent terror attack in Pahalgam as deeply tragic and noted the loss of six Maharashtra residents among the 26 people who were gunned down by the terrorists on April 22.

Pawar highlighted the efforts of the state and central governments to prevent such incidents. He outlined the decisions made at the recent cabinet meeting to provide financial aid and employment assistance to the victims' families.

Pawar emphasised the Maharashtra government's commitment to supporting affected families.

"The attack in Pahalgam was deeply tragic, and the central and state governments continuously strive to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. Maharashtra lost six lives in this unfortunate event. We made some decisions at the last cabinet meeting, including those related to financial aid and employment assistance. We understand that those who have passed away will not return, but the Maharashtra government is committed to supporting the affected families, which is why this decision has been taken," Pawar said.

"Various measures are being taken at both the national level and within Jammu & Kashmir regarding this incident. People across the country feel that action should be taken in response, but every aspect is carefully considered and approached peacefully. All such efforts are being carried out at the Prime Minister's level in Delhi," he added.

- ANI