Mumbai:

Fissures have emerged in Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti over the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for “omitting” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s name from advertisements and promotional material of the scheme.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, state Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who belongs to the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Shinde, expressed disappointment over Deputy Chief Minister Pawar virtually “hijacking” the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme, which offers a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women in the state.

He said not using the full name of the scheme during his (Mr Pawar’s) public outreach programmes was not as per protocol.

“The scheme has ‘Chief Minister’ in its name, and removing it from the scheme is inappropriate. It should not have been done,” Mr Desai alleged.

“It is a state government scheme and he (Mr Pawar) should have taken everyone along,” the Excise Minister said.

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections likely to be held in November, Ajit Pawar, who is also the state Finance Minister, last month launched his party’s ‘Jan Sanman Yatra’, a public outreach programme. Its narrative is focused on the benefits of the financial assistance provided under the Ladki Bahin and other schemes.

The advertisements and other promotional material used during the campaign, the NCP is seen mentioning the name of the scheme as just ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ instead of the full name ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme.

The Ajit Pawar camp has also released two videos in which the beneficiaries were shown thanking Ajit Pawar for the scheme.

The Ladki Bahin scheme was inspired by the Ladli Behana scheme launched in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh ahead of the assembly polls in that state.

The Ladki Bahin scheme was formally launched last month. Speaking during rallies, CM Shinde has promised that if the Mahayuti is elected to power again, it would double the amount of the scheme to Rs 3,000. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday alleged that “corruption” was the cause of the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg district’s Rajkot Fort last month.

Mr Pawar was speaking at an event in Kagal in Kolhapur district where BJP leader Raje Samarjeet Ghatge joined NCP (SP).

“It was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who underlined the strategic importance of the sea, and built Sindhudurg and other sea forts. It was shocking to see that a statue, built only a few months ago and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, collapsed,” the senior leader said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attributed the incident to strong winds, Mr Pawar noted.

“In Mumbai, at the Gateway of India, there is a statue of Shivaji Maharaj, installed by the state’s first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan sixty years ago, and that statue is still standing strong,” he said.

The reason for the collapse was clearly corruption, the NCP(SP) chief claimed.

“Those in power today shamelessly engage in corruption, even in the construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue, and it is up to us to ensure they do not hold the reins of the state (again). We have decided to create leadership that is clean, virtuous and capable of safeguarding the interests of common people,” he said.

Mr Pawar welcomed Mr Ghatge and his colleagues into the NCP (SP) fold, expressing confidence that the people of Kagal will elect Mr Ghatge to the legislative assembly. He indicated that Mr Ghatge would be taking on local MLA and minister Hasan Mushrif, a leader of the Ajit Pawar-led rival NCP.

Without naming Mr Mushrif, Mr Pawar said people voted for him last time but he switched sides afterwards. Voters will teach him a lesson, the NCP(SP) chief added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is again making headlines with comments on Baramati — the bastion of his undivided family. Months after his party lost the parliamentary constituency to his cousin Supriya Sule, Mr Pawar has now conceded it was a mistake to field his wife — a comment that has seen multiple interpretations. Today, he spoke of finding a successor for the Baramati assembly constituency that he currently holds. 

The 65-year-old also hinted that he might not be contesting in the assembly elections due by the year-end.  “I am not interested in that (contesting elections) as I have contested seven or eight elections.” he told reporters. 

Asked about his son Jay Pawar’s wish to contest from the seat, Ajit Pawar provided a controlled response.

“It is a democracy…. If the people and supporters think so, the (NCP) parliamentary board will discuss it,” he said. If the parliamentary board and “people” felt that Jay should be fielded, the NCP was ready to field him, Mr Pawar added.

Back in 2019, Ajit Pawar’s eldest son, Parth Pawar, was defeated by Shrirang Barne of the Shiv Sena by a margin of over two lakh votes in the Maval constituency.

After breaking away from his uncle Sharad Pawar and splitting the party he founded, the election track record of Ajit Pawar’s faction has been less than sterling. Contesting four of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats earlier this year, the NCP could only win one — an outcome attributed to voters’ opinion of the split in the party and the attribution of the party name to the Ajit Pawar faction.

Mr Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar lost to his cousin Supriya Sule by over 1.5 lakh votes in Baramati. 

On Tuesday, Mr Pawar conceded that it was a mistake to field his wife against his sister. One should not allow politics to enter home, Mr Pawar had told Marathi news channel Jai Maharashtra, while on a statewide ‘Jan Samman Yatra’.

“I love all my sisters. One shouldn’t allow politics to enter homes. I made a mistake in fielding Sunetra against my sister. This shouldn’t have happened. But the parliamentary board (of NCP) made a decision. Now I feel it was wrong,” Ajit Pawar said.

Will there be a rapprochement? Ajit Pawar’s response has only fanned speculation. ‘No comment,” said the NCP leader, without giving a  clear answer.

Mumbai:

Resort politics has made a comeback in Maharashtra, and so has the possibility of cross-voting and horsetrading, as the state gears up to hold elections for 11 Legislative Council seats on Friday. Riding high after its unexpectedly good performance in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it won 30 of the state’s 48 seats, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has fielded three candidates, one more than it has the numbers to elect, necessitating the election.

The Maharashtra Assembly, which has 288 seats, currently has 274 members, meaning that every MLC candidate needs 23 first-preference votes to get elected. The ruling Mahayuti – part of the larger NDA alliance – which consists of the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar wing of the NCP, has fielded nine candidates and has 201 MLAs, including Independents and smaller parties, backing it. 

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, which is under the INDIA umbrella, has the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) as its key constituents and has put up three candidates despite having the support of only 67 MLAs. Six MLAs, including an independent, are neutral and may end up playing a key role in the elections because 12 candidates are now vying for 11 MLC seats. 

What makes the exercise interesting, apart from the numbers game, is its timing – just after the Lok Sabha elections and months ahead of the Assembly polls in the state – which has led to it being dubbed a semi-final. This is also only the second time that elections will be held in Maharashtra’s unique political environment, where the split of two regional parties has led to two Shiv Senas and two NCPs – under very similar but different names – being pitted against each other. 

The Lok Sabha polls were the first round and parties from both sides are now pulling out all stops to ensure that they come out tops in the second. After Ajit Pawar’s NCP won just one Lok Sabha seat, there has been a strong buzz that MLAs from his party are looking to jump ship and return to the faction of the party led by Sharad Pawar. Their support is what may have given the opposition the confidence to field a third candidate.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who triggered the need for the election by fielding his close aide, Milind Narvekar, had said, “We would not be doing it (fielding a third candidate) if we had not been confident of winning.”

How The Numbers Stack Up – Mahayuti

The BJP, which has 103 MLAs, has fielded five candidates – Pankaja Munde, Yogesh Tilekar, Parinay Phuke, Amit Gorkhe and Sadabhau Khot – which means that it is 12 MLAs short of the number it needs to get them elected.

The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena has 37 members in the Assembly and has put up two candidates – Krupal Tumane and Bhawana Gawli. It is nine MLAs short.

The faction of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar has 39 MLAs and has two candidates in the fray,  Rajesh Vitekar and Shivajirao Garje, falling seven short of the 46 votes needed to get them elected. 

The ruling coalition is, however, banking on nine MLAs from smaller parties and 13 Independents to see it through. 

How The Numbers Stack Up – Maha Vikas Aghadi

The Congress, with 37 MLAs and one candidate, Pradyna Satav, is the only party with 14 surplus votes. Sharad Pawar’s NCP, with its 13 MLAs, is supporting the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP’s) Jayant Patil. 

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena has put up Mr Narve as a candidate despite having just 15 MLAs, eight short of the figure it needs. 

The Congress votes may make up for the shortfall faced by Mr Patil and Mr Narve, but the votes of the AIMIM’s two MLAs, the SP’s two, the CPI(M)’s lone MLA and one Independent – all of whom are seen to be neutral – will be key. The Congress has claimed the coalition has the support of at least some of these MLAs

MLAs In Hotels

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress, organised a dinner meeting for his party MLAs at a hotel in Mumbai on Thursday night. The Congress has issued a whip to its MLAs asking them to vote for candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Exact instructions, given the surplus votes, will be issued just before voting begins, reported news agency PTI. 

Uddhav Thackeray held a dinner interaction with his MLAs at a five-star hotel in central Mumbai on Wednesday night. All 11 MLAs who attended the meeting stayed back at the hotel, where the four remaining legislators joined them on Thursday, said a party leader. 

Ajit Pawar’s NCP has moved its MLAs to a five-star hotel near the airport in suburban Mumbai while MLAs from Shiv Sena gathered in Vidhan Bhavan complex on Wednesday morning for a meeting and then moved to a five-star hotel in Bandra. 

BJP MLAs are also at a luxury hotel, but the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) has not made any such move. 

Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra president of the NCP, said, “We have full faith in our MLAs and don’t feel the need to keep them in five-star hotels.” 

Voting will take place from 9 am to 4 pm and counting of votes will begin an hour later. 

(With inputs from PTI)

Pune:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has resigned as a director of the Pune District Central Cooperative (PDCC) Bank, said a statement released by the bank on Tuesday.

Mr Pawar decided to step down as a director citing increase in the workload after becoming deputy chief minister and increased responsibility in his party, said the bank’s chairman Dr Digambar Durgade.

The Nationalist Congress Party leader was a director of the bank since 1991, and under his leadership, it made remarkable progress and became the number one bank in the cooperative sector in the country, the bank said in the statement.

When Mr Pawar became a director, the bank’s turnover was Rs 558 crore and now it stands at Rs 20,714 crore, it said.

Ajit Pawar had split the NCP headed by Sharad Pawar in July this year when he joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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New Delhi:

The Election Commission on Friday met the warring factions of the NCP led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar over their claims to the party name and poll symbol. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar was present at the personal hearing of the rival factions called by the Election Commission, which decided to continue the proceedings on October 9.

Ajit Pawar, who had moved the Election Commission staking claim to the party name and poll symbol, submitted that he had the support of 42 of the 53 MLAs in Maharashtra, six of the nine MLCs, all seven MLAs in Nagaland, and one member each in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

At the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared before the poll panel on behalf of Sharad Pawar. Senior advocates N K Kaul and Maninder Singh were present on behalf of Ajit Pawar.

The faction led by Ajit Pawar had rebelled against NCP leader Sharad Pawar and moved the poll panel staking claim to the party name and symbol.

“Under the circumstances, the petitioner submits that he enjoys overwhelming support in the Organisational Wing as well as Legislative Wing of the NCP and therefore the present petition may be allowed by the Hon’ble Commission by recognising the faction led by the petitioner to be the real Political Party,” Ajit Pawar said in his submission to the Election Commission.

The Ajit Pawar faction submitted its arguments in support of its claim before the poll panel on Friday.

The arguments of the Ajit Pawar faction are expected to continue on Monday.

Sharad Pawar’s lawyer Mr Singhvi told reporters later that the claims made by Ajit Pawar were imaginary.

Two days before rebelling against uncle Sharad Pawar to join the Maharashtra government in early July, Ajit Pawar had approached the poll body on June 30 staking claim to the party name as well as symbol and subsequently also declared himself as the party president with the support of 40 lawmakers.

Recently, the Sharad Pawar-led faction had told the EC that there was no dispute in the party, except that a few mischievous individuals have defected from the organisation for their personal ambitions, a reference to the rebel group headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

NCP working president Supriya Sule said on Saturday that she has never said anything against her politically estranged cousin Ajit Pawar.

Ms Sule, who represents the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, was in Pune to pray to various Ganesh idols during Ganeshotsav.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) suffered a jolt in July after a group of party leaders led by Ajit Pawar broke away and joined the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra. Ms Sule has remained with her father and party founder Sharad Pawar.

Talking to reporters after paying obeisance to the deity at the Kasba Ganpati pandal, she said, “I never ask anything from God, I only thank them. This year, the state has received less rain, so I prayed to God for Maharashtra to receive good showers.” 

Asked about her recent speech referring to “bhai” (brother) in Parliament, Sule said, “Ajit Dada is my elder brother and I have never said anything against him. Whatever I said in Parliament is not against any person but against the statements made by honourable PM Modiji and Amit Shah.” 

Speaking in Parliament on the women’s reservation bill, Sule had said, “Har ghar mein aise bhai nahi hote hain jo behan ka kalyan dekhte hain (not every house has a brother that looks after the  well-being of the sister).” 

She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised her party for the past 10 years but now he doesn’t say that NCP is a “Naturally Corrupt Party”.

“The BJP always conducted revenge politics. If allegations made against us are true, let there be an inquiry (against us). Also, if the allegations turn out to be false, BJP should apologise to us,” he said.

To a question about BJP Lok Sabha member Ramesh Bidhuri’s derogatory remarks in the Lower House against BSP MP Danish Ali, Sule said the comments were very unfortunate. The NCP and Trinamool Congress have already written to the Lok Sabha Speaker about the incident, she said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)