In the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar, the President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), called a national executive meeting in Delhi on Thursday, July 6, 2023. Setting out from his residence this morning, Pawar embarked on his journey to the national capital to attend the crucial gathering.
Since Sunday, the political landscape of Maharashtra has been embroiled in turmoil following the unexpected swearing-in of senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar as the state’s deputy chief minister. In a significant move, Ajit Pawar, accompanied by eight other MLAs, joined the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde, asserting his claim over the Nationalist Congress Party, and its election symbol.
The internal revolt within the NCP has sparked political upheaval in Maharashtra, drawing parallels to the events that unfolded with the Shiv Sena last year. The factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar have asserted their dominance over the party, triggering a fierce power struggle. In an attempt to showcase their respective strengths, both leaders organized separate meetings at different venues on Wednesday, 5th July 2023.
Sharad Pawar was joined by 13 MLAs and 3 MPs in the meeting. With a total of 53 MLAs in the Maharashtra legislative assembly, the NCP holds a substantial presence. To circumvent disqualification under the anti-defection law, Ajit Pawar, who currently faces a challenging situation, must secure the support of at least 36 MLAs. This requirement serves as a crucial threshold in navigating the intricate dynamics of the political landscape.
Ajit Pawar faction filed an affidavit with the Election Commission of India on Wednesday, 5th July 2023. The affidavit said, “A Resolution dated 30th June 2023 signed by the overwhelming majority of members of NCP, both from the legislative and organizational wing was passed thereby electing Ajit Anantrao Pawar as the President of NCP. Praful Patel was and continues to be one of the working presidents of NCP.”
It further said, “The NCP also decided to appoint Ajit Pawar as the leader of the NCP Legislative Party in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and the said decision was also ratified by the resolution passed by an overwhelming majority of NCP MLAs.”
Addressing the situation, Sharad Pawar countered by stating that the meeting held on June 30 cannot be considered a working committee meeting, as several key party leaders were not duly notified or informed about it. Pawar highlighted the significance of proper communication and the involvement of essential party members in such crucial meetings.
“PC Chacko, Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, Fauzia Khan, and many of the members of the committee were not informed, no notice was issued for that meeting,” Sharad Pawar said.
Even three days after Ajit Pawar’s rebellion, no one made it clear how many MLAs are with him. Various claims were being made about this by the Ajit Pawar group. Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar group spokesperson and MLC Amol Mitkari announced the exact number of MLAs who are with Ajit Pawar while interacting with media after the meeting of the Ajit Pawar faction on 5th July 2023.
Amol Mitkari said, “Today’s meeting discussed what will be the next strategy of the NCP. Ajit Pawar enquired about the problems in the constituencies of all the MLAs. Chhagan Bhujbal and Ajit Pawar guided us on this. It has been decided in today’s meeting that let’s take forward the work of the public welfare. A total of 34 MLAs of the Assembly were present in today’s meeting. A total of five MLAs of the Legislative Council were also present. A total of 39 MLAs are with us. Three to four more MLAs (from Sharad Pawar’s faction of NCP) have approached us.”
Ajit Pawar in his speech on 5th July 2023 leveled many allegations against his uncle Sharad Pawar. Reacting to this, Sharad Pawar said, “Ajit Pawar should have spoken to me if he had any problems. If he had something on his mind he could have approached me. We weren’t taken into confidence by the MLAs who decided to split. Ajit Pawar faction has not followed any procedure. The party symbol is with us, it is not going anywhere. The people and party workers who brought us to power are with us. I know they (Ajit Pawar) are using my photo. This is unacceptable to us. They are using my photo because they know they have no standing. We don’t have a hunger for power; we will keep working for the people.”
Ajit Pawar also raised the issue of the old age of Sharad Pawar and repeatedly asked him to retire. Replying to this, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule said during the meeting of MLAs of Sharad Pawar’s faction of NCP, “Industrialist Ratan Tata works even at this age. Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan appears in commercials and on the big screen at the age of 80. Serum Institute’s Cyrus Poonawalla is still working. These elderly people are contributing to the progress of the country. We, daughters, are better than sons who tell elders to stop.”