Ajit Pawar Joins Eknath Shinde Govt, Takes Oath As Maharashtra Deputy CM

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 2, 2023: In what is seen as a massive political development ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Sunday was sworn in as deputy chief minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. Pawar, who will now share the deputy CM post with Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis, took the oath at the Raj Bhavan along with several of his NCP colleagues including senior politician Chhagan Bhujbal.

Ajit Pawar’s sudden oath-taking ceremony came hours after he met some of his party leaders at his official residence in Mumbai. Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and party’s working president Supriya Sule were among the leaders who were present at the meeting held at Ajit Pawar’s official residence ’Devgiri’, while state party president Jayant Patil was not present. Some NCP MLAs were also present in the meeting.

Earlier in the day, NCP president Sharad Pawar had said that he was ’unaware’ of his nephew Ajit Pawar’s meeting, He, however, added that Ajit, who was then the leader of opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly, can call a meeting of legislators.

Out of the total 53 NCP MLAs in the state, as many as 30 are reportedly with Ajit Pawar. Ajit Pawar had on Wednesday announced that he wants to step down as Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra and would like any party post.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said that such things happen when a ’deserving party worker’ gets a ’secondary role’. Speaking to reporters, Shinde said that now the double engine government has a ’triple engine’. "Politics of development is being backed by a man of development. When a deserving party worker gets a secondary role, such things happen," Eknath Shinde said about Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Sharad Pawar, who is known to display rebellious streaks.