Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Mumbai, has reportedly submitted a petition to the Election Commission of India, asserting his right to the NCP and its election symbol. As per a report by The Wire, Jayant Patil, a supporter of Sharad Pawar, Ajit's uncle and the president of the NCP, has reportedly filed a separate note of caution with the Election Commission. The note highlights their intention to disqualify the nine party MLAs who joined the Maharashtra government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In an unexpected development, Ajit Pawar and the nine MLAs, among whom five are being scrutinized by central investigation agencies, made a sudden switch on Sunday, July 2. They all took oaths as cabinet ministers in the government led by Eknath Shinde. Ajit Pawar has now become the deputy chief minister of the state, sharing the position with Devendra Fadnavis from the BJP.
Despite the rapid unfolding of events, claims that the NCP remained a unified party have been contradicted as Ajit Pawar publicly addressed Sharad Pawar and questioned when he was “going to stop?" “In other parties, leaders retire after an age. In BJP, leaders retire at 75, when are you going to stop? You should also give new people a chance. If we make mistakes, tell us.
Your age is 83, will you ever stop or not? You give us blessings," Ajit said, NDTV reported. According to NDTV, Ajit Pawar stated in the meeting that he had the support of 29 out of the NCP's 53 MLAs. “Everybody has his innings.
The most productive years are from 25 to 75 years," Ajit further said. However, some other sources have suggested that the number of MLAs supporting Ajit Pawar could potentially be as high as 32. Supriya Sule, who is the daughter of Sharad Pawar and a
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