In Maharashtra shocker, NCP's Ajit Pawar is Deputy CM

New Delhi, July 2

Effecting a major political shake-up in Maharashtra politics, which also has national ramifications, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, along with eight party legislators, joined the state government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Pawar joins the government as Deputy Chief Minister and will share the post with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis.

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In the fourth swearing-in ceremony in Maharashtra since the Assembly elections in 2019, Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Aditi Tatkare, Dhananjay Munde, Hasan Mushrif, Dharmaraj Babarao Atram, Sanjay Bansode and Anil Bhaidas Patil took oath today at a simple function in the Raj Bhavan. Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais administered the oath of office and secrecy.

At the time of the oath-taking ceremony, Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis were present on the stage. Ajit Pawar-led faction’s move has given a severe jolt to his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar as he has been seen trying to project himself as the front runner for the top post in the united opposition ahead of the 2024 elections. The second meeting of the opposition leaders in their efforts to forge a united front against the BJP is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on July 13 and 14, which was announced by Sharad Pawar himself on June 29. The first such conclave took place in Patna on June 23.

Welcoming Ajit Pawar into the NDA fold, Chief Minister Shinde said, “Now, we have a CM and two Deputy CMs. The double-engine government has now become triple-engine. For the development of Maharashtra, I welcome Ajit Pawar and his leaders. His experience will help.” Briefing the media, Ajit Pawar, who was accompanied by NCP leaders Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, said his party decided to become a part of the Shinde government for the development of the country. He also praised PM’s leadership.

Asserting that there was no split in the NCP, Ajit Pawar said they would contest all future elections on the NCP’s name and symbol, as all elected representatives (of the party) had supported the decision to join the government.

Defending his decision to share power with the BJP, Ajit Pawar said, “If we can go with the Shiv Sena, we can go with the BJP as well. The same thing happened in Nagaland.”

However, Sharad Pawar, while reacting to the development, told reporters in Pune that a decision had to be taken on those who violated the party line and joined the Shinde government. He said his endeavour after this would be to travel as much as possible within the state and the country and build relations with people.

Sharad Pawar said some party leaders were nervous about probes by the Enforcement Directorate and named Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif. “Today’s episode may be new for others, but not for me,” he said, adding that he was not bothered that people had left, but was worried about their future.

This churn in the NCP comes a month after Sharad Pawar resigned as party chief and then decided to take it back three days later as he “couldn’t disrespect the feelings of the masses”.

Ajit Pawar, who made a failed bid to align with the BJP in 2019 and was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister in an early morning ceremony, had been vying for the post of state president to resurrect his dwindling stature in the party. While he has no party post, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and Praful Patel were elevated to working presidents on June 10.

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4th swearing-in ceremony since 2019 poll

• This is the 4th swearing-in ceremony in Maharashtra since Assembly polls in 2019
• In four years, Sharad Pawar’s nephew has donned role of Deputy CM under three CMs — Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde; this is overall his fifth stint
• Citing a letter submitted to Raj Bhavan, sources say Ajit Pawar has the support of over 40 of the 53 NCP MLAs and six of its nine MLCs