Four Key Figures Exit Ajit Pawar’s Party After Election Loss

In a setback for Ajit Pawar’s NCP, four leaders from the party’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit have resigned and are expected to join the Sharad Pawar faction soon. This development follows the NCP’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha election and comes just months before the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Among those who have resigned are Ajit Gavahane, chief of NCP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit; Yash Sane, chief of the Pimpri-Chinchwad students’ wing; and former corporators Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar. They have all submitted their resignations to Ajit Pawar.

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Sources indicate that Ajit Gavahane resigned following unsuccessful attempts to secure a ticket for the Bhosari Assembly seat. BJP MLA Mahesh Landge has held the Bhosari constituency for the past two terms.

Pimpri-Chinchwad has been the NCP’s stronghold for decades.

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In the Lok Sabha polls, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) stunned the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra by winning 30 of the 48 seats. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP won just one seat, Raigad, while the Sharad Pawar faction bagged eight.

The resignations come amid a buzz that some leaders of the Ajit Pawar camp are willing to return to the Sharad Pawar camp. Earlier this month, Sharad Pawar claimed some MLAs from the breakaway NCP faction met his party’s senior leader Jayant Patil.

Speculations Surrounding Chhagan Bhujbal’s Allegiance

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There are speculations that Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal may part ways with Ajit Pawar. Last month, a senior leader from the Shiv Sena (UBT), a part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, met Bhujbal. Sources indicate Bhujbal’s discontent over Ajit Pawar nominating his wife Sunetra for the Rajya Sabha after her defeat in the Baramati Lok Sabha election to Supriya Sule. Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader, had aspirations for the Rajya Sabha seat and a subsequent Union Ministry position.