Nationalist Congress Party chief Ajit Pawar rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) offer of the Minister of State with Independent Charge portfolio for his colleague Praful Patel, citing that Patel had previously served as a cabinet minister in the central government. Pawar stated that they would wait for a cabinet ministry instead, given that their ranks are expected to grow with the entrance of new Rajya Sabha members. The rejection came after the NDA's poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, with NCP winning only one seat while BJP and Shiv Sena secured 9 and 7 respectively. NCP's Sharad Pawar leader Rohit Pawar also commented on the rejection, stating that those who ally with BJP see a decrease in their power.