Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar shocked one and all on the 24th foundation day of the party by asking chief Sharad Pawar to relieve him of the post of leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra legislative assembly. He asked for a bigger role in the party, saying during a speech: “I am told that I don’t act tough as the leader of the opposition. Hence, relieve me from this post and give me a bigger role in the party,” adding, “I was never interested in working as the LoP but accepted on the demand of party MLAs.”
The senior NCP leader has been making headlines over the past two months. When his cousin Supriya Sule was appointed as the first working president of the party, there were unconfirmed reports that Ajit was not quite happy. His name popped up again in media reports suggesting that he was the leader of a group within the NCP that wanted to join the BJP.
When Sharad Pawar resigned as the national president, all party leaders and workers tried to persuade him to take his resignation back but Ajit took a stand and asked everyone to respect the decision. After the last budget session of the state assembly, he was targeted by an alliance partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi that being the leader of the opposition, he was not as aggressive against the ruling party.
So, for his speech at the celebrations of NCP’s foundation day, Ajit also said: “Assign me any post in the party organisation, and I will do complete justice to whatever responsibility I am entrusted with.”
Recovered from political debacle to be Maharashtra’s deputy CM in MVA govt
After Sharad Pawar, it is Ajit Pawar who has a strong hold over the party organisation. He takes a keen interest, from state elections to local body elections, and has always delivered desired results for the party.
In the current scenario of Maharashtra politics, there are only two politicians who have a strong hold over bureaucracy and the state police. One is deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and the other is Ajit.
There is, however, one black mark in his political career that is still fresh in public memory: when he joined hands with Fadnavis to become deputy chief minister in his cabinet. But even then, it was a mark of how strong a leader Ajit is and that was well displayed for Sharad Pawar and the entire NCP.
The party leadership also saw how he had the support of NCP MLAs but after this incident, when some leaders were celebrating the end of career, they still had to witness his comeback as Uddhav Thackeray’s deputy when the MVA formed the government. People who have seen Ajit closely know that he speaks his mind each time but constant criticism of his working style by allies have made him unhappy. So, this time he has spoken his heart out.
Can improve NCP’s poll performance
Before the 2019 assembly elections, Ajit had quit as the Baramati MLA. That time, there was speculation that he had quit due to a family feud. He later clarified that this was due to the Enforcement Directorate taking Sharad Pawar’s name in a money laundering case pertaining to the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, of which Ajit Pawar was one of the directors.
According to some senior NCP leaders, Sharad Pawar has made a natural division in the party. As Pawar has appointed Sule as the working president and given her responsibility of Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab for the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit may get the responsibility of the state elections.
But his latest statement suggests that he does not only want election-related responsibilities. He is also looking for a post, which will give him official authority in the party organisation. Some leaders said if he became the state president, the party’s performance will improve so that it is in a commanding position.
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