New Delhi: Maharashtra politics witnessed a dramatic twist Sunday as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who quit as Leader of the Opposition Friday, joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government in the state along with at least eight NCP MLAs.
Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and laid claim to his party’s name and symbol after joining hands with the ruling Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine.
Addressing a press conference alongside NCP leaders Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar said Sunday that “most NCP MLAs” have decided to join the Shinde-Fadnavis administration.
“We feel development should be given priority and believe that PM Modi has taken the country forward in the last nine years. When such leadership is there, we should also give them support,” he said, clarifying that he had resigned as Leader of the Opposition Friday.
“I don’t have to reply to the criticism, as a lot of people will now criticise. We have joined the government as NCP. We will fight the upcoming elections as NCP,” he said, without disclosing the exact number of MLAs who have extended support to him.
He added that NCP leaders who have backed him as their leader wish to contest assembly and parliamentary elections as an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sharad Pawar, Sanjay Raut respond
At a press conference later in the day, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the full picture would only become clearer “in two-three days”, adding that nephew Ajit’s move preceded a meeting of NCP leaders during which potential organisational changes were discussed.
“I was going to think about those. But before that, some colleagues took a different stand from the party and put a stand forward that they are the party,” he added.
Pawar (82) said that this situation of multiple leaders breaking away and raising questions about the future of the party is not new for him.
“After the election in 1980, of the 58 MLAs of the party I was leading, all MLAs left except six. I formed the party again by taking five MLAs with me. In the next election, except for two or three people who left us, all of them lost.”
He added that his “single-point agenda” will be to restore this picture from 1980 with the support of the people of Maharashtra. “I have great faith in the common people of Maharashtra and especially in the young generation,” he added.
The people of Maharashtra will decide who the NCP belongs to, he said.
Meanwhile, reacting to the developments, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who is a close aide of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, said they were “already aware” of Ajit’s decision to break ranks and that Maharashtra would see a “new CM in a few days”.
Earlier Sunday, Raut took a dig at legislators of the NCP, his former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally, by saying that those who have “taken up the task of cleaning Maharashtra politics” are free to “have their way”.
Raut further alleged that those who shifted loyalties were about to be sent to jail by the Eknath Shinde government.
With inputs from Manasi Phadke and Purva Chitnis
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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