Maharashtra news Live Updates: A day after Ajit Pawar staged a coup in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has moved a disqualification petition against him and eight others who took oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led state government.
The party founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999 suffered a vertical split after his nephew Ajit Pawar broke ranks and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government as deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP MLAs, including staunch Sharad Pawar loyalists like Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, were made ministers.
Maharashtra news live updates: Here are the latest updates on Ajit Pawar's big switch
During a press briefing, newly appointed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar insisted upon referring Sharad Pawar as the national president of NCP, a party from which he lugged out a number of MLAs to join hands with the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state. "Have you forgotten that Sharad Pawar is the party's national president?" he said.
Shinde faction Shiv Sena, BJP and Ajit Pawar alliance has been named 'Mahayuti', NCP party leaders confirmed during a press conference on Monday in Mumbai.
NCP leader Praful Patel also informed the media that Anil Bhaidas Patil has been appointed as the chief whip of NCP in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
While addressing a press conference, NCP leader Praful Patel said, "Ajit Pawar has been unanimously elected as the leader of the legislature party. We have informed Maharashtra Assembly Speaker about our decision."
The Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP has appointed Sunil Tatkare as the new state president of the NCP. In a statement, Praful Patel said that the responsibility was given to Jayant Patil but he has been removed and will be replaced by Tatkare. "We had appointed Jayant Patil and given him the responsibility of Maharashtra president of NCP. Today I have officially informed him that we are removing him from the post of state president. And I appoint Sunil Tatkare as the new Maharashtra state president for NCP," Patel said.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday disqualified members of the Lok Sabha, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, hours after NCP working president Supriya Sule requested so in an official letter addressed to him.
Taking to Twitter, Pawar declared "I, as the National President, Nationalist Congress Party hereby order removal of the names of Shri Sunil Tatkare and Shri Praful Patel from the Register of Members of NCP Party for anti-party activities."
NCP’s working president Supriya Sule recommended disciplinary action against party MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare for “facilitating and spearheading” the swearing-in of nine party MLAs as state Cabinet minister.
"Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Dy CM Ajit Pawar came to meet Devendra Fadnavis today. CM Eknath Shinde will take the final call regarding the portfolios of the 9 MLAs who took oath yesterday. People do not believe what Sanjay Raut says. The condition of NCP is the same as that of Shiv Sena now," Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan said, ANI reported.
Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar reached Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis where Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and other NCP leaders were present.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal met Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis at his residence on Monday to discuss allocation of portfolios in the cabinet, sources told PTI.
In the past, Ajit Pawar held portfolios such as water resources department, power and finance. Currently, all the three portfolios are with Fadnavis, who also holds charge of the state home department.
"Maharashtra-like situation may erupt in Bihar and UP as many MLAs are unhappy with Nitish Kumar joining hands with RJD. Similarly in UP, Jayant Chaudhary can join the NDA as he did not attend the Patna opposition meeting," Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said amid political turmoil in Maharashtra.
The PDP chief, Mehbooba Mufti said, "BJP is scared of opposition unity. That's why they are resorting to dirty politics in Maharashtra. The most corrupt party in India is the BJP. But BJP won't succeed. Opposition unity will be strengthened in the coming days. It is not the opposition vs BJP, it is opposition vs ED, CBI. The BJP is misusing agencies to scare opponents."
"The BJP is destroying the beauty of this nation. Till yesterday, they were calling the NCP the most corrupt party. Now they have formed a govt with them. It exposes the BJP," Mufti said.
"We sent a petition to the Assembly speaker last night. We requested him to hear our side. Our party's strength in the Assembly is 53, of which 9 have defected, the rest are with us. We will give them a fair chance to come back but will take action against those who do not come back," NCP's Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil said on Monday.
Congress took exception to Sharad Pawar declaring name of Jitendra Awhad as Leader of Opposition (LoP). Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar said, "The decision has to be taken by all the three parties together. The post can be handed to the party with the largest number of MLAs. If the NCP has the support of the requisite MLAs then they can stake claim to the post if not then there is no other alternate than Congress."
Meanwhile, Congress' Balasaheb Thorat said that the Leader of Opposition will be from party which has the maximum number of MLAs. "Congress has maximum numbers", he said.
Addressing the public in Karad, Sharad Pawar said, "We set up a government led by Uddhav Thackeray. But some people overthrew it. And a government promoting communal forces came into being. Such efforts are being done elsewhere in the country too."
"These tendencies shook the democratic government in Maharashtra while we opposed it. Unfortunately, a few of our colleagues fell prey to it. Nevertheless, the people of Maharashtra will not succumb to these forces. Soon, we will go in front of people. The tendencies that have damaged our values and democratic system will be taught a lesson. We decided to reach out to people and decided to start it on Guru Poornima," he said.
Acknowledging the NCP’s disqualification petition against the defected MLAs, Speaker Rahul Narvekar said, “I will study the petition and will take a decision accordingly”.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan paid floral tributes to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan in Karad on Monday.
Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Jayant Patil, in a press briefing, announced that his party has moved a disqualification petition against Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who took oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led state government. He added that the disqualification petition has been sent to Speaker Rahul Narvekar.
He said an e-mail has also been sent to the Election Commission of India informing that the rank and file of the NCP is with party chief Sharad Pawar.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) conveying that Sharad Pawar, who founded the NCP in 1999, continues to head the party and that there is no change in the leadership. They also urged the poll body to hear them before acting upon any request from Ajit Pawar's camp.
A day after a vertical split in his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar on Monday left for Karad to visit the memorial of Maharashtra's first chief minister Yashwantrao Chavan.
The NCP chief was accompanied by his wife Pratibha Pawar, Rajya Sabha member Vandana Chavan, NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakde, party's Pune city unit president Prashant Jagtap and many other party workers.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday reiterated his claim that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra a day ago, would soon replace Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Sanjay Raut also said that 16 MLAs who were part of the split in Shiv Sena almost a year ago are going to be "disqualified".
"Today I am saying this in front of the camera, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is going to change. Eknath Shinde is being removed. Eknath Shinde and the 16 MLAs are going to be disqualified," Raut said while talking to ANI.
On Sunday, Jitendra Awhad was made the Leader of Opposition in Assembly replacing Ajit Pawar. Pawar’s move is yet another blow to the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as well as the Opposition unity project. Sharad Pawar, however, remained defiant, vowing to rebuild the party.