Launching a frontal attack on his former colleagues who have quit NCP to join ruling BJP ahe of Assembly elections in Maharashtra, party chief Shar Pawar on Sunday termed m "cowards" and said people will show m ir place in upcoming assembly elections.

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Condemns Maharashtra CM

He also took a dig at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fnavis on eve of his scheduled visit to Sangli and Kolhapur, which were worst affected by unprecedented floods in early August. "He (Fnavis) went re (in flood-affected areas) only once just for few hours and never visited again," Pawar said.

veteran politician also criticized his former colleagues who have joined BJP fold.

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Shar Pawar criticises former party members who joined BJP

"y are cowards. People of Maharashtra will take care of such people in elections," Pawar said, a day after former party leer Udayanraje Bhosale resigned as MP and joined BJP. "re are some people who have lost ir self-respect and switched to BJP. I think people will show m ir place in assembly elections," he said.

Pawar, who founded Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 1999 after walking out of Congress, said he h worked in Opposition for 27 years. "I mand to work in Opposition at times more effectively. But I do t feel like sitting with this kind of opposition (leers)," he ded.

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He also attacked NDA government over condition of ecomy. "This government has left many people jobless. This time people will give m a strong mess," Pawar ded.

NCP has been bearing brunt of a string of defections with many party leers joining eir BJP or Shiv Sena. Prominent leers who have jumped ship include former Ministers Jaidutta Kshirsagar, Ganesh Naik and Sachin Ahir and former State Unit President, Bhaskar Jhav to name a few.

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