The NCP or Nationalist Congress Party was founded in 1999 by Sharad Pawar after he quit the Indian National Congress (INC) along with Purno Sangma and Tariq Anwar. While the NCP started as a national party with values of ‘Gandhian secularism’ and ‘progressive and modern progress’, its biggest electoral success has been in Maharashtra, Pawar’s home state. In 2023, the Election Commission withdrew the party’s status as a ‘national party’ as the NCP could no longer meet the criteria of such a designation.
As of 2024, the party is split into two factions — one led by founder Sharad Pawar and another by his nephew Ajit Pawar. The faction led by Ajit is in power in Maharashtra along with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). This faction today is knonw as the Nationalist Congress Party, having been granted the original party name and symbol by the Supreme Court. The other faction is called the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Other important leaders include Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, and Rajesh Tope.
In maharashtra, people respect savarkar more for his great writings, and in general as a great mind. And not really for his political side. So no big deal if ajit pawar does this..
The lame explanation that Ajit Pawar did it as the Dy C M following protocol will not wash. Anyone from the SS could have ‘done’ the protocol bit, why specifically Ajit? There is a LOT going on in Maharashtra politics that has nothing to do with “Politics”, but only with appearances. Congress is simply exploiting its numbers, and neither SS, nor NCP, both of whom desperately need THIS sarkar to last the full term ( it matters least to Congress, except for its Local leaders) can afford to drop their guard. They have to please EVERYONE ,and that, obviously, is a very tough ask.