A DAY after BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Eknath Shinde will remain Chief Minister both during Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections, the NCP insisted that the next elections will be fought under the leadership of Ajit Pawar. "Ajit Pawar will soon become Chief Minister. 2024 elections will be fought only under his leadership,'' said state minister Dhramraobaba Atram, who belongs to the NCP-led Ajit Pawar faction and was recently appointed as the District Guardian Minister for Gondia. "Ajit Pawar is the face of the Marathas.the Mahayuti will contest the upcoming elections under his leadership. The NCP is taking massive preparations to win all seats. The party will select candidates on the basis of elective merit. Ajit Pawar will ensure victory in maximum seats and become the Chief Minister," said Atram. On Wednesday, while giving an interview to news channel Mumbai Tak, Fadnavis said Eknath Shinde would continue to be the CM and both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will be fought under his leadership. He said Ajit Pawar will become the CM when the opportunity arises. An NCP spokesperson said, ''We don't take Devendra Fadnavis seriously. In the past, he had said that BJP will never tie up with NCP but now he has. Fadnavis says many things depending on the situation. We are confident Ajit Pawar will be the chief minister.'' While the NCP banks hopes on Ajit Pawar becoming the CM in future, Fadnavis's statement has allayed the fears of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which has been in a tizzy ever since leaders from Ajit Pawar's NCP faction have been tweeting, putting up boards and giving statements calling him the future Chief Minister. "There is nothing new in what Fadnavis said. The day Eknath Shinde was appointed Chief Minister, we knew he was unlikely to be replaced anytime soon. Whatever leaders of Ajit Pawar's camp are saying, it is being said for their satisfaction and to keep the flock together. Those statements were making the NCP rank and file happy and that's the reason they did not object,'' said Maval MP Shrirang Barne, who belongs to the Shinde Sena. Former MP Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil, who belongs to the Shinde Sena, also said, "Devendra Fadnavis's statement is a big relief for our party. We know Eknath Shinde is comfortably seated on the CM's post and that he will not be replaced with Ajit Pawar. In politics, you do everything to keep the flock together. And that's why Ajit Pawar's party keeps raising the issue of chief ministership.''