Maharashtra political tussle: NCP sacks Ajit Pawar, elects Dilip Walse-Patil as leader
Mumbai/UNI/IBNS: In a major development in the political crisis of the state, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday sacked Ajit Pawar as the NCP Legislative Party leader and chose Dilip Walse-Patil as the new NCP LLP.
Patil, once Sharad Pawar's personal assistant, has served as Power, Finance and Higher Technical Education Minister.
He also served as the Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly.
He represents the Ambegaon constituency of the state.
Earlier in the day, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis sprang a surprise as he took oath as 18th Chief Minister of the state, while NCP chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar was sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
The dramatic swearing-in of Fadnavis and Pawar was preceded by days of talks between key party leaders and the junior Pawar, who was facing probe in corruption cases being investigated by the Central agencies.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress have moved to the Supreme Court after Devendra Fadnavis' move of taking oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday morning.
Apart from him, NCP’s Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy CM of the state, completely changing the political equation in Maharashtra that had changed frequently ever since the result of the Assembly polls was declared last month.
“Facing the prospect of a non BJP Government staking claim to power, the BJP in the intervening night of 22.11.2019 and 23.11.2019 has resorted to political machinations in an attempt to install a completely unconstitutional BJP Government in the State... There is nothing in public domain as to how and in what manner Devendra Fadnavis and/or the BJP had staked claim power between the intervening night of 22.11.2019 and 23.11.2019,” the three parties submitted in their petition before the top court as reported by Hindustan Times.
Maharashtra wakes up under BJP rule
NCP leader Ajit Pawar stunned the Shiv Sena on early Saturday morning by allying with the BJP to form the next state government in Maharashtra.
After Koshyari revoked the Presidential rule in the state early morning, BJP's Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister for the second time with Ajit as his deputy after the NCP leader claimed 35 of his party MLAs have supported the saffron outfit.
Though the tally of BJP-NCP is still five short of the majority mark (145), the saffron party is likely to cobble up the number with the support of the Independent MLAs.
All the developments on the western soil took place barely a few hours after Sharad Pawar last night informed his party, Shiv Sena and Congress will form the Maharashtra government with Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Minister.
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