NCP leader and minister of Ajit Pawar faction Chhagan Bhujbal said that more than 40 MLAs and MLCs are with us. We have done all the hard work before taking the oath. We didn’t take the oath just like that.
These leaders are included in Ajit Pawar faction
Apart from Chhagan Bhujbal and Dhananjay Munde, Baba Atram, Anna Bansode, Manikrao Kokate, Datta Bharne, Aditi Tatkare, Narhari Jhirwal, Sunil Shelke, Nilesh Lanke, Dilip Walse Patil, Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and Hasan Mushrif are present in Ajit Pawar’s meeting. Along with this, three MLCs Aniket Tatkare, Amol Mitkari and Vikram Kale have also come in support of Ajit Pawar.
#WATCH Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his faction leader put on a show of strength by gathering at MET Bandra in Mumbai for NCP meeting.#MaharashtraPoliticspic.twitter.com/gDgQHsbLkp
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) July 5, 2023
Amidst the NCP vs NCP crisis in Maharashtra, two separate meetings are being held simultaneously in Mumbai. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has called a meeting of all NCP MPs, MLAs, MLCs, district heads and state representatives at MET Bandra. While Sharad Pawar has called a meeting of all the members in the YB Chavan Auditorium.
On behalf of the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction, party’s Chief Whip Jitendra Ahwad had issued an order to all the MLAs to attend today’s meeting. Meanwhile, posters have been put up at Sharad Pawar’s house Silver Oak in his support, in which it is written that the 83-year-old warrior has turned out to be alone.
#WATCH Mumbai: NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Anil Deshmukh and other leaders-activists arrive at YB Chavan Centre, for a meeting called by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The meeting will start shortly.#MaharashtraPoliticspic.twitter.com/5ZZQoarHhL
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) July 5, 2023
It is discussed here that after the Ajit Pawar faction joined the government, the movement in Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has intensified. The Chief Minister, who went to Nagpur to receive President Draupadi Murmu on Tuesday, returned to Mumbai late at night. It is reported that he went back after meeting.
Ajit Pawar faction claims support of 40 MLAs
Ajit Pawar has claimed the support of 40 out of 53 MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In the letter written to the Governor, the support of more than 40 MLAs and their signatures has been mentioned. At the same time, many MLAs allege that they unknowingly put their signatures on the letter without knowing its purpose.
Many NCP leaders supported Sharad Pawar
So far neither Ajit Pawar nor Sharad Pawar has presented MLAs in their support. But many NCP leaders have declared their loyalty towards Sharad Pawar. Anil Deshmukh, Jitendra Ahwad, Jayant Patil, Rohit Pawar, Sandeep Kshirsagar and Prajakta Prasadrao Tanpure have shared their pictures with Sharad Pawar and expressed their support.
Sharad Pawar seeking legal advice on disqualification of defectors
At present, Ajit Pawar does not have the required two-thirds majority to split the NCP party and avoid action under the anti-defection law. If he has enough numbers, he can claim the name and symbol of the party. Meanwhile, 82-year-old Sharad Pawar has started his mission to rebuild the NCP from the grassroots level from Monday. Team Sharad Pawar is consulting legal experts on the disqualification of defectors.
