Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is meeting with party colleagues in Pune today following a significant defection of leaders to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by his uncle, Sharad Pawar. Among the defectors are Ajit Gavhane, the former Pimpri-Chinchwad chief of the NCP, and local leaders Rahul Bhosale, Pankaj Bhalekar, and Yash Sane. Over 20 former corporators, mayors, and unit heads from Pimpri-Chinchwad also joined Sharad Pawar’s camp yesterday.
This shift follows the recent Lok Sabha elections, where Sharad Pawar’s faction achieved a remarkable success by winning 8 of the 10 seats it contested, leaving Ajit Pawar’s faction with just one seat and three losses. The election results underscore the strong support for Sharad Pawar within the NCP, especially with the Maharashtra state elections approaching.
The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, faced a major upheaval last year when Ajit Pawar led a rebellion and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government as Deputy Chief Minister. This split cost Sharad Pawar his party’s name and symbol, compelling him to contest the Lok Sabha election under the name NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). Despite these challenges, Sharad Pawar’s faction emerged victorious, winning eight out of ten contested seats.
As the state elections draw near, many leaders are realigning their positions to align with the likely winners. Ajit Gavhane, in an interview with ANI, attributed his switch to local governance issues, stating, “If you look at Pimpri-Chinchwad, both Ajit dada and Pawar sahab contributed to its development. But since 2017, BJP has been ruling the municipal corporation. Development work here was done in the wrong way. There was rampant corruption here.”
Sharad Pawar’s daughter and four-time Lok Sabha MP, Supriya Sule, emphasized her father’s longstanding commitment to development in Maharashtra and his influential role at the national level. “We have faith in Pawar sahab’s ideology and many people in the opposition, too, look towards him with great hopes. This is why people are joining him,” Sule told ANI.
The ongoing defections raise questions about Ajit Pawar’s future. There is speculation that he may seek to reconcile with Sharad Pawar. When asked if Ajit Pawar would be welcomed back, Sharad Pawar responded, “Such decisions cannot be taken at the personal level. My colleagues who stood by me during the crisis will be asked first.”
Ajit Pawar’s standing in the Eknath Shinde-led government has been weakened by his faction’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. As a Deputy Chief Minister whose party secured just one seat, Ajit Pawar faces a formidable challenge as he prepares for the upcoming state polls.
