Ajit Pawar had a series of meetings today, a day after breaking ranks and joining the Eknath Shinde government as Deputy Chief Minister. He threw the party founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar into disarray.
Ajit Pawar met with Devendra Fadnavis at his residence this morning, hours after meeting with the renegade NCP MLAs, purportedly to negotiate the power-sharing formula. “A discussion was held regarding the allocation of ministries to Ajit Pawar and the eight NCP MLAs who have switched to the Shinde-led government,” according to sources.
Sharad Pawar Vows to Rebuild NCP Amid Political Upheaval
Sharad Pawar today visited the memorial of his mentor and Maharashtra’s first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan in Satara district – which is being seen as a show of strength a day after his nephew’s big switch. He said the BJP was trying to “destroy” all Opposition parties, and vowed to rebuild the NCP. “My fight against communal forces begins today. Such rebellions happen. I will rebuild the party,” Mr Pawar said.
The veteran politician later addressed the media as well. Sharad Pawar said he has launched a statewide tour to strengthen the NCP and boost the confidence of party workers. “Those who tried to break NCP, we will show them their real place,” he said.
NCP Petitions Maharashtra Speaker for Disqualification of Ajit Pawar
The NCP has submitted a petition to the Speaker of the Maharashtra assembly, Rahul Narvekar, seeking the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and his eight loyalists. According to the 22-page disqualification petition, the MLAs’ actions of going to the Governor of Maharashtra and taking oath as Deputy Chief Minister and ministers in the government led by Eknath Shinde—which the NCP strongly opposes—amounts to voluntarily giving up membership of the NCP political party.
The party has also written to the Election Commission of India (EC). Sharad Pawar founded the NCP in 1999. He headed the party and that there is no change in the leadership. They also urged the poll body to hear them before acting upon on any request from Ajit Pawar camp.