Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar announced his decision to join the swearing-in ceremony even as acting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde continued suspense over his participation in the state cabinet at a joint press conference of the Mahayuti on Wednesday afternoon. Everyone cracked up, lifting the mood of the attendees.
When Shinde was asked if he would be sworn in as deputy chief minister, he said it would be revealed soon. Interrupting him, Pawar said, “His (Shinde’s) decision will be known by evening, I am going to take oath (unka sham tak samaj me aayega, main to lene wala hoon)”. This elicited bursts of laughter from both the leaders and journalists present.
Shinde replied, ‘He has the experience of taking oath in the morning and in the evening. The memory of his failed morning swearing-in attempt with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis in 2019 also brought a big smile to Pawar’s face.
Known for his usual straight and steady face, Pawar’s relaxed avatar has been hard to miss since the Maharashtra assembly results. By winning 41 seats in the 2024 assembly elections, Pawar has not only defeated his uncle and veteran politician Sharad Pawar but has successfully asserted his party as the de facto NCP. This may bring more arrivals to his party.
Ajit Pawar also faced opposition within the family for going against his uncle as many, including his brothers, opposed him politically. His victory also gives him the emotional upper hand against them all.
Less than four months ago, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar suffered the worst defeat of his political career as only one of his five candidates won the Lok Sabha elections.
In what was one of the country’s most high-profile battles at the time, Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra lost to her cousin and sitting MP Supriya Sule, daughter of veteran politician Sharad Pawar, at the family home in Baramati. . This is the first time that two members of the Pawar family are facing each other in an election battle. Ajit Pawar lived in Baramati and oversaw his wife’s campaign, making it a battle of prestige.
Finding himself at the bottom of the state’s political hierarchy and with very little option left to negotiate for a higher number of seats for the party in the assembly elections, Pawar focused on only 59 parties and eventually won 41. Mahayuti, he was the first party to openly support Devendra Fadnavis as the next Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
After multiple inquiries and his relatives faced raids by central agencies in the past, Pawar has breathed a sigh of relief since joining hands with the BJP.
Since its formation in 1999, CPN has always been a part of the government, except for the five-year term of 2014-19. Even after 2019, be it MVA or Mahayuti, CPN is in power. The party is in power. This time, by getting a big mandate in favor of Mahayuti, the government will run smoothly for the next 5 years and there is no challenge for him for the time being,’ said a CPN leader.
Sources within the NCP also noted that Pawar now has an advantage over the NCP(SP), as he will be in power for the next five years. “Nobody can rule out the possibility of the elected representatives making overtures to the CPN. Now he is in the driving seat,’ said the leader.