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 Gavhane, 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, as 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 Nationalist Congress Party (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 Lok Sabha 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 they were joined by the four remaining legislators 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 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)

Mumbai:

Amid speculations that some of the MLAs of the Ajit Pawar camp are willing to return to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-SP, Sharad Pawar on Tuesday clarified that those who wanted to “weaken” the party would not be taken in.

However, the veteran NCP leader added that those MLAs who would not “hurt” the image of the party would be taken back, but after having a word with the party leaders and workers.

Addressing the media in Maharashtra’s Mumbai, Sharad Pawar said, “Those who wanted to weaken the party would not be taken in. But those leaders who would help strengthen the organisation and not hurt the image of the party would be taken in.”

“However, that too will happen after having a word with the party (NCP-SP) leaders and workers,” he added.

Following the Ajit Pawar camp’s poor showing in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha polls, there is growing speculation that some of the MLAs of the camp are willing to return to the NCP-SP ahead of the state assembly polls. The NCP bagged only one of the four seats it contested, whereas the NCP-SP won eight of the 10 seats it contested.

The Mahayuti alliance — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and the NCP — collectively bagged 17 seats in Maharashtra with the BJP securing nine seats and the Shiv Sena seven.

The leaders of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP were reportedly upset over being offered only a post of Minister of State (MoS) in the Modi 3.0 cabinet.

NCP leader Praful Patel had been offered the post of MoS, however, he turned it down saying that accepting the position of Minister of State with independent charge in the Union Cabinet would be considered a demotion for him, as he was earlier a Cabinet Minister at the centre.

During the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Patel was the cabinet minister for the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

Earlier, Ajit Pawar had said that his party is going to wait for the BJP to change its offer.

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

Pune:

The NCP (SP) agreed to contest fewer seats than its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies during the Lok Sabha elections but the situation would be different in the assembly polls, a party leader has quoted its supremo Sharad Pawar as saying.

Pawar held two meetings here on Friday, one with the party’s functionaries from Pune city and district, and another with its MLAs and newly-elected MPs.

City NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap, who attended the first meeting, said Pawar told the gathering that the party contested fewer seats in the Lok Sabha polls just to ensure that the alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress remained intact.

“He indicated that the picture in the assembly polls will be different,” said Jagtap.

The NCP (SP) chief also reviewed the situation in assembly segments within the Pune, Baramati, Maval and Shirur Lok Sabha constituencies, he said.

A party leader who attended the second meeting said Pawar exhorted the MPs and MLAs to be prepared for the assembly elections.

Meanwhile, state NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil told reporters that the party had not yet decided how many seats it would seek during the MVA seat-sharing talks.

As to the candidate for the Baramati assembly seat, currently represented by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the head of the rival NCP, Patil said Pawar senior would take the decision.

Anil Deshmukh, another senior NCP (SP) leader, said to a question that there was no “elder brother and younger brother” in the MVA. “All are equal,” he said.

There was a lot of nervousness among the MLAs who are with the Ajit Pawar-led faction post the Lok Sabha results, and some of them were calling Patil and other NCP(SP) leaders, Deshmukh claimed. “Let’s see what is to be done with them,” he added.

While the NCP (SP) won eight Lok Sabha seats out of the 10 it contested, the Ajit Pawar-led faction won only one of the four seats it fought.

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

Pune:

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Opposition MVA alliance outperformed the ruling coalition in 155 assembly segments in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections, and it indicated the people’s “mood” as state polls are around the corner.

Assembly elections are due in the state in October.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi allies NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress together contested all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and won 31, Pawar said, speaking to reporters here.

“The outcome reflects the people’s wishes….if you see (voting patterns in) assembly constituencies within these 31 seats, we secured victory in 155 assembly segments. The outcome reflects the mood of the people for assembly elections,” he said.

Asked about opposition to the proposed Nagpur-Goa ‘Shaktipeeth’ expressway, he said there must be some reason for it, and the government should explain why it was keen on the project.

(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 on Saturday described as “misuse of power” the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s sanction to prosecute author Arundhati Roy under the stringent UAPA for an alleged provocative speech in 2010.

He was speaking to reporters during a joint press conference with Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan.

Asked about Delhi L-G VK Saxena’s sanction to prosecute Roy under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, for an address at an event 14 years ago, the former Union minister said, “This is nothing but misuse of power.” Besides Ms Roy, Mr Saxena on Friday also gave the green signal for action under UAPA against former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain.

Ms Roy, a Booker Prize-winning author, and Mr Hussain had been named in an FIR registered on October 28, 2010.

The two had allegedly made provocative speeches at a conference organised under the banner of ‘Azadi – The Only Way’ on October 21, 2010, in New Delhi.

“The issues discussed and spoken about at the conference propagated the separation of Kashmir from India,” an official said on Friday.

Last October, the L-G had granted sanction to prosecute them under section 196 of CrPC for commission of offences punishable under different sections of the Indian Penal Code: 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

Those who delivered speeches at the conference included Syed Ali Shah Geelani, SAR Geelani (anchor of the conference and prime accused in the Parliament attack case), Roy, Hussain and Telugu poet and Varavara Rao. 

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

Mumbai:

NCP founder Sharad Pawar has “thanked” Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Maharashtra’s opposition alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi – consisting of his party, ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction, and the Congress – won 30 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats in this election.

Mr Pawar – who lost the NCP symbol and name to the group led by nephew Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister after allying with the BJP and the Sena breakaways, led by eventual the Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde – said, “We thank PM Narendra Modi for making the political atmosphere conducive for the MVA.”

The jibe comes amid inquests, public and private, into the BJP’s dismal showing in Maharashtra, in which it won 23 seats in 2019 and only nine this time. In fact, data suggests Mr Modi and BJP did not win 15 of 18 seats in which it campaigned widely. The three were Mumbai North (Union Minister Piyush Goyal) and North West (Ravindra Waikar from the Shinde Sena), and Satara (BJP’s Udayanraje Bhonsale).

The rest, including Beed, Latur, Nashik, Mumbai North East, and Pune, went to the MVA parties.

Mr Pawar’s NCP finished with eight seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed just one.

Thackeray Defies Buzz Over MP Switches

Meanwhile, Mr Thackeray – buoyed by a strong election, in which his Sena faction won nine seats and the breakaway group seven – left the door open to lawmakers who jumped ship two years ago, triggering his resignation and fall of his coalition government. He also said lawmakers who stayed loyal after the Sena split in 2022 will stay, amid rumours at least two newly elected MPs could jump ship to his rival’s camp.

READ | 2 Team Uddhav MPs Are In Touch With Eknath Shinde: Shiv Sena Leader

“All those who supported me will stay (and) we will think about those who want to join us. I will not take anyone’s name… but, after the election, Ram has become BJP-free…” he said.

He also rubbished talk about a reverse switch – he could merge his Sena group with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s ‘original’ and return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

READ | On Rumours Of Going Back To NDA, Team Uddhav Says…

The latter set of events would improve the BJP’s position, after it won only 240 seats on its own, 32 short of majority. Even with the support of NDA partners, specifically the JDU and TDP, the BJP is only 21 over the majority mark of 272. For the INDIA bloc, picking up a handful of Shinde Sena MPs won’t allow them to challenge the BJP government, but it would put Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party under stress.

READ | “Modiji’s Era…”: MLA Predicts Thackeray’s Post-Poll BJP U-Turn

Mr Thackeray also took a jibe at the BJP over the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, which the latter thought would win it a majority, if not all, of the state’s 80 seats and drive it to its ‘400 paar‘ target.

“After the election, Ram has become BJP-free,” he said.

“Thank You, Maharashtra”, Says Maha Vikas Aghadi

Mr Thackeray, Mr Pawar, and the Congress’ Prithivraj Chavan were addressing a presser to thank voters for the poll results. “This press conference is to express gratitude to the people of Maharashtra. The people voted for the MVA and rejected attempts of religious polarisation,” Mr Chavan said. 

“Recently, a meeting of the three parties was held to prepare for the Assembly election. The way we fought the Lok Sabha election, we will fight the Vidhan Sabha poll,” he continued, “Our victory will be certain and there will be a change of power in the state.”

Mr Thackeray, meanwhile, underlined the fact the current government is no longer run solely by the BJP – which had brute majorities in 2014 and 2019 – but is a coalition.

“It was ‘Modi government’ but now it is ‘NDA government’. How long will it last?” he asked.

READ | In Maharashtra, OGs Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar Stand Tall

He also said the Lok Sabha result in the state had exposed the “myth” of the BJP’s electoral invincibility. “There was an atmosphere in the whole country… everyone thought no one could fight against the BJP. But people of Maharashtra showed this is hollow,” he said.

He also hailed the opposition’s strong showing despite an “economically uneven” battle. “It was a fight to save the Constitution and to save democracy,” the ex-Chief Minister said, “The fight has just begun…”

In the 2024 election the MVA – expected to lose a tight race for Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, the most of any state after Uttar Pradesh’s 80 – surprised many with a thumping win. 

Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s parties won 17 seats between themselves. The Congress secured 13, after winning only two in the 2014 election and just one in 2019. By contrast the BJP, which won 23 last time, got nine, and its Sena and NCP allies got eight.

The BJP’s setback, coupled with losses in Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, meant the party fell well short of its ambitious target of 370. The BJP got only 240 – 32 below the majority mark – and needed Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP to form the union government.

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Mumbai:

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Sharad Pawar over farmers’ plight, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief said today that when he was the Union Minister (2004-2014), he had helped the then Gujarat Chief Minister – now the Prime Minister – a lot for the agricultural crisis in his state.

Sharad Pawar was the Union Agriculture Minister from 2004 to 2014.

He said that on one occasion, the then Gujarat chief minister once called him and said he wanted to visit Israel to study the unique farming techniques there.

“He used to come to me with the problems of the agriculture sector and even took me to Gujarat. Once he wanted to visit Israel so I took him there also. Whatever Narendra Modi says now I am not concerned,” said Mr Pawar.

Years later, Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM since Independence to visit Israel in July 2017.

The NCP (SP) chief’s retort came a day after PM Modi attacked Sharad Pawar – without taking his name – accusing him of doing nothing for the cause of farmers when he was the Union Agriculture Minister.

Even on earlier occasions during the ongoing Lok Sabha campaign, PM Modi has slammed Sharad Pawar for having abandoned the peasantry, and not doing anything for their welfare, while contending that the farmers benefited hugely during the last 10 years of the Bharatiya Janata Party government.
 

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