Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday claimed 40 of 53 MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are supporting the state government, the PTI reported.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule was speaking to reporters after NCP leader Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister while eight MLAs of the Sharad Pawar-led party took oath as ministers in the government led by Shiv Sena and BJP.