Power Play
The return of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as his deputies, underscores the complex and often turbulent nature of coalition politics in India.
The four leaders are — Ajit Gavahane, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, student leader Yash Sane and two former corporators — Pankaj Bhalekar and Rahul Bhosale.
Four leaders from Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP have quit the party and they are likely to join Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SCP.
The leaders who parted ways with Ajit Pawar, who had engineered a split in the NCP-led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, were from the party’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit.
They are Ajit Gavahane, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, student leader Yash Sane and two former corporators — Pankaj Bhalekar and Rahul Bhosale.
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Speaking to a news agency, Mr Gavahane said they are going to take Sharad Pawar’s blessings and will make a decision together.
“I resigned yesterday and today, we will have a meeting with all ex-corporators of another Vidhan Sabha constituency. We will accordingly decide our upcoming strategy. We are going to take blessings of Pawar Sahab (Sharad Pawar). We will make a decision together,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP, the saffron party Ajit Pawar joined hands with, has been stalling the development of the Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The development which comes in the wake of a poor show by Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the Lok Sabha elections, has brought into open the unease in the party’s ranks.
Earlier, there were reports that several leaders who allied with Ajit Pawar at the time he split the party, are now willing to return to the Sharad Pawar-led faction.
Last month, when Sharad Pawar was asked about this, he responded by saying that his doors will remain shut for those who sought to weaken the party.
He, however, added that leaders who could strengthen his new party by maligning his image would be welcomed.
The developments in the Ajit Pawar-led party come days after an RSS-linked magazine held BJP’s alliance with NCP responsible for the saffron party’s relatively poor show in the general elections.
Moreover, the only MP from Ajit Pawar’s party was also snubbed by the BJP as he failed to secure any berth in the Modi government 3.0.
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