Thane, Feb 13 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday hit back at the Nationalist Congress Party's Ajit Pawar for claiming "selfish" leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party got two terminally-ill MLAs in ambulances from Pune to Mumbai to vote in the MLC and Rajya Sabha polls.

Also Read | Agra Shocker: Man Dies of ‘Alcohol Overdose’ After Being Challenged To Drink Three Bottles of Liquor in 10 Minutes by Friends.

Kasba MLA Mukta Tilak and Chinchwad legislator Laxman Jagtap had arrived in ambulances at the Legislature complex in Mumbai to vote for the BJP in the two polls held in June last year, both of which were close contests with every vote crucial for the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and the opposition.

Also Read | Valentine's Day 2023: Shri Ram Sena Activists To Keep Hawk's Eye on Parks, Hotels on February 14; Pramod Muthalik Says 'Will Stop Drug and Sex That Will Happen on Pretext of Celebration'.

Speaking at a rally earlier in the day for the Chinchwad bypoll, necessitated by the death of Jagtap, senior NCP leader Pawar said, "This exertion was unbearable for them (Tilak and Jagtap) but they remained silent for the party. The BJP should have understood health is more important than polls but these selfish people (BJP leaders) did not pay heed."

Hitting back, Fadnavis said, "We have leaders in our party who will give their blood and life for the party. We are proud of them. We do not have selfish leaders like the ones found in the NCP".

Fadnavis was in Dombivali here to attend a two-day conclave connected to the Brahmin community.

Bypolls to Chinchwad and Kasba in Pune district, necessitated by the deaths of Jagtap and Tilak, respectively, will be held on February 26.

Tilak died on December 22 last year, while Jagtap died on January 3 this year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)