Mumbai, September 25
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar today sent in his resignation to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan amidst allegations that he had cleared irrigation projects worth several thousand crores of rupees.

“I have submitted my resignation to the Chief Minister and it is up to him to decide whether to accept or not,” Pawar told reporters here this evening.

Pawar said he was putting in his resignation following allegations of corruption against him. "If I stay on in my post the allegations that I indulged in corruption will only get worse," Pawar told reporters.

Over the past several weeks allegations have surfaced that Pawar had cleared irrigation projects worth more than Rs 30,000 crore between 1999 and 2009 when he was the Irrigation Minister. Some estimates say, the value of the scam may go up to Rs 70,000 crore. Most of these projects have seen huge cost overruns giving rise to allegations of corruption.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had earlier said that the Maharashtra Government would come out with a white paper on the state's rrigation department. Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party had been opposing the move to bring out a White Paper.

Pawar's resignation comes after talks between the leaders of the Congress and the NCP. Party supremo Sharad Pawar who is the uncle of Ajit, has had long parleys with Chavan over the issue, say sources.

Political observers say Ajit Pawar's resignation would be a way of putting pressure on the Congress Chief Minister. A section of the NCP has been demanding that the party pull out of the alliance in Maharashtra and at the Centre following the allegations in the irrigation scandal.

However, several of Ajit Pawar's foes in the party, who have aligned with Sharad Pawar are pressing the senior leader to induct his daughter Supriya Sule into Maharashtra politics.

Sule is presently the Rajya Sabha MP from Baramati. Sources also say that the allegations against the Deputy CM came after the go-ahead from party leader Sharad Pawar who is said to be pitching for his daughter's entry into state politics.

Early this evening, NCP leaders met here and demanded that the party extend outside support to the Maharashtra government after quitting all ministries. "Our elected representatives are demanding that the party quit the government," party leader Vinayak Mete told reporters.