Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has made another admission of his “mistake” in splitting the party and family — this time to stop a party leader’s daughter from crossing over to his uncle’s camp and contesting against her father.

State minister Dharmarao Baba Atram’s daughter Bhagyashree is apparently ready to join the Sharad Pawar faction and contest from Aheri against Atram.

At a public gathering in Gadchiroli today, Ajit Pawar said, “I want to tell you that even now, do not make this mistake. Stay with your father. No one can love his daughter as much as a father does. By doing this, you will create a rift in your own house”.

That course of action, he said, “is not right” — because “this is not acceptable to the society”.

“We have also gained experience in this context, and I have now understood my mistake and I accept it,” he added.

Pawar Junior, who split his uncle Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and joined hands with the  BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena last year, has made multiple comments about his “mistake” since the Lok Sabha election.

His party had got a drubbing — with the voters staunchly backing Sharad Pawar.

Not only did his wife Sunetra Pawar lost the contest with his cousin Supriya Sule from Baramati, his faction of the party managed to score only one seat of the four he contested.

Last month, Mr Pawar had had 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 a Marathi news channel.

“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 had said, raising speculation ofa possible rapprochement.

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.)

NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the opposition won’t sit quietly till the Mahayuti dispensation in Maharashtra is dislodged from power in the next two months and a new government is formed on the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Addressing party workers at Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Mr Pawar slammed the state government over the collapse of the statue of the legendary warrior king in Sindhudurg district on August 26.

He said those in power in the state have no “faith” in Shivaji Maharaj. The ruling Mahayuti comprises BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP headed by Ajit Pawar.

“I assure you (party workers) that if you show your unity, then we will not sit quietly till the government in Maharashtra is changed in the next two months and a new government is formed on the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj that will safeguard the interests of people,” Mr Pawar said.

The collapse of the 35-foot Shivaji statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil has triggered a firestorm in the state, with the opposition targeting the Mahayuti for “corruption” and “insult” to the icon.

Besides Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other state leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also apologised over the incident.

Mr Pawar said there are allegations of corruption while constructing the statue but he has no evidence about it.

“But how does a statue collapse? This means the quality of the statue deteriorated. Shivaji had never been insulted the way he was under this government,” Mr Pawar said.

The government says a new statue will be constructed but what about the damage that was done, he asked.

The NCP (SP) chief said “wrong and corrupt decisions” were taken while constructing the statue.

Earlier in the day, Mr Pawar joined a protest march by the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in south Mumbai over the statue collapse.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will likely be held in October or November.

Attacking the Centre over the lateral entry scheme, which had triggered a political row recently, Mr Pawar said the one in power won’t safeguard people’s interests. 

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

Mumbai:

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Z-plus security cover accorded to him could be an arrangement to get “authentic information” about him as Maharashtra assembly polls are around the corner.

The Centre on Wednesday accorded Z-plus – the highest category of armed VIP security cover – to Sharad Pawar, official sources had told Press Trust of India.

Asked about the security upgrade for him, the 83-year-old politician told the media in Navi Mumbai on Thursday that he wasn’t aware of the reason behind the move.

“A home ministry official told me that the government has decided to give three persons Z-plus security and I was one of them. I asked who the other two were. I was told RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union home minister Amit Shah,” said Mr Pawar.

“Maybe since elections are approaching, this can be an arrangement to get authentic information (about me),” he quipped.

A team of 55 armed personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been earmarked as part of Pawar’s Z plus security cover. A threat assessment review by central agencies had recommended a strong security cover for Mr Pawar, official sources had told news agency PTI earlier.

The VIP security cover categorisations begin from the highest Z+ followed by Z, Y+, Y and X.

Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) is a part of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), also comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, that performed impressively in the held Lok Sabha polls winning 30 of the 48 seats in the state.

The ruling Mahayuti coalition of BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP headed by Ajit Pawar had to contend with only 17 seats.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are likely to be held in October-November.
 

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

Pune:

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President, Sharad Pawar, today called upon the Maharashtra and Union governments to resolve the vexed Maratha quota issue, expressing full support to any initiative, including hiking the 50 per cent ceiling.

The senior Pawar urged Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to convene an all-party meeting to resolve the Maratha quota issue and said the Centre should work to scrap the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations.

“The judiciary has barred more than 50 per cent reservation in the country, but if there’s a problem then all parties in the state should come together and insist that the Centre remove it. The Centre has the power to change the ceiling limits. If that is done with the support of all parties, we shall fully back it,” declared Sharad Pawar.

The NCP(SP) supremo’s stance echoed the sentiments expressed last week by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally, Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who faced flak from the ruling Mahayuti partners.

Sharad Pawar pointed out how Tamil Nadu had given 76 per cent quota earlier, and after that the decision was taken to impose a 50 per cent ceiling on reservation. Sharad Pawar pointed out that now power vests only with the Centre.

Appealing to all political parties in the state to work together to defuse the strife created by the Maratha-OBC quotas, the NCP(SP) supremo said that the Chief Minister should invite the striking Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil.

Sharad Pawar added that OBC leaders should also be called for the all-party meeting, while the MVA would join as the Opposition.

Reacting to the suggestion, Chief Minister Shinde today said that he was in consultation with Sharad Pawar about ‘alternatives’ on the long-simmering quotas issue that has created a political upheaval in Maharashtra.

“All parties must ensure that the social environment is maintained in the state and there is no bitterness between the two communities (Marathas-OBCs) on the issue. If we don’t do it now, then it is impossible to predict what will happen,” said Sharad Pawar.

To a query whether Mr Jarange-Patil should contest the forthcoming Assembly elections on the Maratha cause, Sharad Pawar diplomatically ducked it, saying “in a democracy, everybody has the right to contest elections and seek votes”.

Mr Jarange-Patil has repeatedly threatened that if the government fails to grant the quotas and other demands as promised, then Marathas would not only work to defeat candidates of the Mahayuti and MVA, but also put up nominees in all the 288 Assembly seats and attempt to come to power.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Nagpur:

Senior NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Thursday challenged Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to make public the video clips that show him allegedly speaking against NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Deshmukh said, “Yesterday, Mr Fadnavis claimed that he has some video clips about my comments against Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. Then he should make the video clips public because I know he possesses none.”

“But he does not have any such video clips and he talked about them just to level allegations,” he said.

Mr Deshmukh also showed a pen drive saying that it contains evidence about the allegations he made against Fadnavis.

He reiterated his allegation that three years ago, he was pressured by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to make an affidavit and level false allegations against Uddhav Thackeray, Ajit Pawar, Aaditya Thackeray and Anil Parab.

“But I clearly told them that I will not level any false allegations against anyone,” the former minister said.

He said he was sent to jail after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) action for refusing to sign the affidavit.

When asked about the pen drive in his hand, Deshmukh said it contains proof of his allegations against Mr Fadnavis.

“If I am challenged, I will reveal the video evidence I have. I don’t speak without proof. I have proof to establish that I was pressured to level false allegations against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders,” he said.

On Wednesday, Mr Deshmukh alleged that an ‘intermediary’ of Mr Fadnavis had asked him to provide affidavits against important figures in the MVA government to avoid getting embroiled in litigation himself. Mr Fadnavis had denied the allegation.

Mr Deshmukh stepped down as home minister in April 2021 after the then Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh accused him of asking police to collect money from hotel and bar owners in the city.

However, reacting to Mr Deshmukh’s allegation on Wednesday, Mr Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, had said it was baseless.

“Anil Deshmukh should know that his own party leaders have provided me with multiple pieces of audio-visual evidence of his comments about then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, or the controversial police officer Sachin Waze. If false accusations are levelled against me, I will have no choice but to make this evidence public,” Mr Fadnavis said. 

(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 in a huddle with party colleagues in Pune today after several key leaders switched to the NCP faction led by his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar. Four Pune leaders resigned from their roles in the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar and joined the Sharad Pawar camp yesterday. These include Ajit Gavhane, NCP’s former Pimpri-Chinchwad chief, and local leaders Rahul Bhosale, Pankaj Bhalekar, and Yash Sane.

Over 20 former corporators, mayors and unit heads from Pimpri-Chinchwad switched to the senior Pawar’s camp yesterday.

The switch comes a month after the Lok Sabha election, in which the Sharad Pawar faction posted a stellar show by winning 8 of the 10 seats it contested. The Ajit Pawar camp was left disappointed, as it managed to win just one seat and lost three. The results, at one level, also showed it is the senior Pawar that NCP supporters are eager to back. This is all the more significant because state polls in Maharashtra are months away.

Sharad Pawar’s Comeback

Sharad Pawar, who founded NCP in 1999, suffered a big setback last year when his nephew Ajit Pawar led a mutiny and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government as a Deputy Chief Minister. The veteran politician also lost his party’s name and symbol and had to fight the Lok Sabha election under the name of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). The poll results brought good news as the veteran trumped his nephew’s faction and won eight seats out of the 10 NCP (SP) contested.

Why NCP Leaders Are Switching

Elections in Maharashtra are months away, and every leader is exploring ways to get a poll pass. With the Sharad Pawar-led faction scoring big in the Lok Sabha polls, many leaders expect them to repeat it in the state election and want to be on the winning side. Several leaders have cited local factors behind their move to switch. “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,” Mr Gavhane told ANI.

Sharad Pawar’s daughter and four-time Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said the veteran leader has been working for development in Maharashtra and at the Centre for the last 60 years. “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,” Ms Sule told ANI.

Can Ajit Pawar Switch?

As leaders of his faction switch to Sharad Pawar’s camp, there is speculation that Ajit Pawar, too, may finally try to go back. Sharad Pawar was recently asked if his nephew will get a place in his party if he wants to return. The veteran replied, “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 taken a big blow due to his poll setback. He is now a Deputy Chief Minister, whose party managed just one seat in the Lok Sabha contest. 

And against this backdrop, the upcoming state polls will be a tall challenge for the 64-year-old leader.

Mumbai:

Four top leaders from have resigned from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra’s Pimpri Chinchwad, dealing a major blow to the party led by Ajit Pawar after a poor show in the recent Lok Sabha elections. They are likely to join the party led by Sharad Pawar later this week.

Ajit Gavahane, the chief of NCP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, is among those who have submitted their resignations to Ajit Pawar. The others are Pimpri Chinchwad Students’ Wing chief Yash Sane, and former corporators, Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar.

The resignations come amid a buzz that some leaders in the Ajit Pawar camp are willing to return to the Sharad Pawar fold.

Sharad Pawar said last month those who wanted to “weaken” his party would not be taken in, but he would accept leaders who would not “hurt” the image of the party.

“Those who wanted to weaken the party would not be taken in. But those leaders who would help strengthen the organization and not hurt the image of the party would be taken in,” he had said.

The Pawar family split into two political parties after a rebellion by Ajit Pawar against his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar in 2023. While Sharad Pawar remained in the Opposition camp, Ajit Pawar joined the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and was rewarded with the post of his deputy.

Ajit Pawar’s party contested the Lok Sabha elections as part of the BJP-led NDA, but could win just one seat – Raigad – while his uncle’s party bagged eight.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has said “traitors” from the party who cross-voted in the recent elections to 11 legislative council seats have been identified and will be punished.

“The same “traitors” had ensured the defeat of the Congress leader Chandrakant Handore in the council elections two years ago,” Mr. Patole claimed on July 13.

“A trap was laid this time and they have been identified. They will be punished so that no one dares to betray the party again,” Mr. Patole told reporters in Mumbai, without taking any name.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, while talking to reporters on July 14, said the Congress has accepted that cross-voting took place and they will take action accordingly.

“The Central government is going to observe the imposition of Emergency as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’. Isn’t it unconstitutional to get MLCs elected by MLAs who are facing disqualification? Isn’t it unconstitutional to purchase MLAs by bribing them? BJP is the real murderer of the Constitution,” Mr. Raut alleged.

Following a split in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Shiv Sena (UBT) headed by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) had moved court seeking disqualification of MLAs of the parties led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

The ruling ‘Mahyuti’ in the State, comprising the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, the BJP and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP, on July 12 won all the nine seats it contested in the biennial elections to 11 seats in the legislative council.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) faced a setback as a candidate backed by Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) lost. At least seven Congress MLAs defied the party’s directive while voting, results showed.

“The Congress, which has 37 MLAs, had fixed a quota of 30 first preference votes for its candidate Pradyna Satav, and seven remaining votes were to go to Milind Narvekar, candidate of the ally Shiv Sena (UBT),” party sources earlier said.

Eventually, Mr. Satav got 25 and Narvekar 22 first preference votes, which meant at least seven Congress MLAs cross-voted. Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP), supported by the NCP (SP), lost.

The 288-member legislative Assembly, with current strength of 274, was the electoral college for the council polls. Each winning candidate required 23 votes.

The BJP is the largest party in the Assembly with 103 members, followed by the Shiv Sena-38, NCP- 42, Congress-37, Shiv Sena (UBT)-15 and NCP (SP)-10.

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)