All these leaders formally joined the original NCP under Sharad Pawar's leadership, marking a continuation of the exodus from Ajit Pawar's NCP as Maharashtra's Assembly polls draw near.
Digital Desk: Ajit Pawar's NCP suffered a significant setback as several of its top leaders resigned to join Sharad Pawar's faction. The faction led by Ajit Pawar, still recovering from the Lok Sabha election defeat, witnessed influential leaders from Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune district defecting to Sharad Pawar's group. Among the departures is Ajit Gavhane, the president of Pimpri-Chinchwad, along with numerous former corporators from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. This departure deals a major blow to the Maharashtra deputy chief minister’s stronghold in Pune.
All these leaders formally joined the original NCP under Sharad Pawar's leadership, marking a continuation of the exodus from Ajit Pawar's NCP as Maharashtra's Assembly polls draw near. Additionally, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) referenced a report in an RSS-linked Marathi weekly to suggest that the BJP is subtly signaling to Ajit Pawar's NCP to exit the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ alliance in Maharashtra.
Speaking to reporters, NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto indicated that following the setback in the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP aims to secure victory in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. However, the BJP recognizes that its alliance with Ajit Pawar's party could hamper its electoral prospects. Crasto suggested that the BJP has started to realize the complications caused by Ajit Pawar's inclusion in the Shiv Sena-BJP government since July 2023, and this alliance might not be conducive to winning elections.
Accordingly, Crasto stated, "The BJP is therefore looking for reasons to convey this message." The BJP's seat count in Maharashtra plummeted from 23 in 2019 to just nine in the recent Lok Sabha polls, whereas its ally Shiv Sena secured seven seats and Ajit Pawar-led NCP managed to win only one constituency. In contrast, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, performed strongly, collectively winning 30 out of the 48 seats.
The NCP, established in 1999, experienced a division when Ajit Pawar joined the Shinde-led government along with a faction of loyal party MLAs.
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