NCP leader Ajit Pawar gets deputy CM post
MUMBAI: In a stunning turn of events in Maharashtra, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday returned as chief minister propped up by NCP’s Ajit Pawar, who was made his deputy, just hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress reached a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate.
As the dramatic events leading to the swearing-in of Fadnavis and Pawar at 7.30 am by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari in a hush hush ceremony at Raj Bhavan created fissures in the Nationalist Congress Party(NCP), its chief Sharad Pawar distanced himself from his nephew’s dramatic action and said the decision to back Fadnavis for his second consecutive term was his personal choice and not that of the party. Few had an inkling of the early morning swearing-in ceremony – which some dubbed a clandestine affair – at the Raj Bhavan. The event was a far cry from Fadnavis’ first such ceremony in 2014 in the packed Wankhede Stadium in presence of thousands of supporters. The swearing-in ceremony was held soon after the President’s rule, imposed on November 12, was revoked. President Ram Nath Kovind signed the proclamation for revocation of the central rule and a gazette notification to this effect was issued at 5.47 am.
The swearing-in ceremony came as a political shocker, hours after Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray emerged as the Sena-NCP-Congress’ consensus candidate for the top post. Sharad Pawar described Ajit Pawar’s decision to join hands with the BJP an act of indiscipline, and said his nephew and other MLAs of the party who have switched sides would attract the provisions of the anti-defection law.
Later in the evening, the NCP removed Ajit Pawar as the party’s legislature unit leader and revoked his right to issue a whip.
The meeting, convened by Sharad Pawar was attended by 49 of 54 party MLAs, and the party expected remaining legislators to join them.
The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine on Saturday night filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the Maharashtra governor’s decision to swear-in BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister and demanded an immediate floor test to avoid “further horse trading”. A bench of justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna will hear the plea on Sunday at 11:30 am. The three parties also sought a direction to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite them to form government under the leadership of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying they have the support of more than 144 MLAs.
Speaking to BJP workers, Fadnavis said he would give Maharashtra a strong government with Ajit Pawar’s support. Few had expected the month-long political impasse to end in such a dramatic manner. Pawar had on Friday night said the new government would be led by Uddhav Thackeray. The three parties had even prepared a draft common minimum programme to guide the actions of the new government.
Pawar on Saturday described Ajit Pawar’s decision an act of indiscipline. Claiming that the new BJP-led dispensation would not pass the floor test, he asserted that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine has the numbers and will form the government.
Pawar addressed a press conference with Uddhav Thackeray after the stunning developments of the morning. MLAs who have defected stand to lose the membership of the Assembly, and when bypolls are held, the Congress-NCP-Sena alliance will ensure that they are defeated, he said. Sharad Pawar said he was not aware if his nephew decided to support the BJP out of the fear of the Enforcement Directorate. Ajit Pawar is among those named in the multi- crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam case.
Pawar said the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, along with independents and smaller parties, have the support of 169 to 170 MLAs, and they were ready to form the government. “Around 6.30 am-6.45 am, I got a call that some NCP legislators had been brought to Raj Bhavan. After some time, we came to know that Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister,” he said.
Pawar said of the 10 to 11 NCP MLAs, who were present with Ajit Pawar at Raj Bhavan, three have returned to the party. “Two more are on the way,” he said, adding “We have identified the legislators from TV grabs and pictures.” “As the NCP legislature party leader, Ajit Pawar had the list of all the 54 MLAs with names, signatures and constituencies for internal party use. I presume he has submitted that list as a letter of support to the Governor. If this is true, the governor has been misled,” Pawar said.
The BJP and the Sena, which fought the assembly polls in an alliance, had secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-member House. The Sena broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister’s post. The Congress and the NCP, pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively. (PTI)