Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Ajit Pawar on Thursday met party leaders from Pune's Pimpri Chinchwad after over 20 former corporators, mayors and unit heads joined the party faction led by his uncle Sharad Pawar in Pune.
The exodus of Ajit Pawar camp leaders was prompted by the resignation of party's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief Ajit Gavhane along with two former corporators from the township near Pune on Wednesday.
Gavhane and the others submitted resignation letters to party president Sunil Tatkare. “We will seek the blessing of Sharad Pawar,” Gavhane said on Wednesday.
Speculation about unrest in the Ajit Pawar camp started doing rounds after the NCP led by him lost three of the four seats it contested in recent Lok Sabha elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies - Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP - suffered a major loss in Maharashtra in the recent general elections. Known as the Mahayuti aliance, the BJP-led camp won just 17 of the 28 seats it contested. Of this, BJP won nine seats, Shinde's Shiv Sena won seven and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP got just one.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance - comprising Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena - exceeded expectations and won 30 of the 48 seats it fought on.
Sharad Pawar On Ajit Pawar's Potential Return Query
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said a decision on the potential entry of any leader in his party will be a collective one, refusing to confirm whether Ajit Pawar will be accommodated if he chooses to come back.
Sharad Pawar spoke on multiple issues during his interaction with reporters in Pune when he was asked whether his estranged nephew and current Deputy Chief Minister in the Mahayuti government will be welcomed back into the party, according to a news agency PTI report.
Responding to a query, the Pawar senior said everyone has a place in the "house". When reporters specifically asked if Ajit Pawar has a place in the NCP (SP), Sharad Pawar said, "Such decisions cannot be taken at the personal level. My colleagues who stood by me during the crisis will be asked first".
The Pawar family split into two political parties after a rebellion by Ajit Pawar against his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar in 2023. After Ajit Pawar joined the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and was given the post of his deputy, a position he shared with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, Sharad Pawar remained in the Opposition camp and also lost the clock symbol of the party.
