Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who has been in the crosshair for skipping a party meeting in Mumbai has indicated that he is ready for Maharashtra's chief minister post 'now' instead of waiting for the 2024 when Assembly polls. The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly also said he will "100 per cent" like to be chief minister of Maharashtra.
Asked why the NCP has an attraction for the deputy CM's position as the party has got that post on multiple occasions in the last 20 years, the veteran politician said in 2004, the NCP and the Congress fought Assembly elections in an alliance and the former had won more seats.
"We got 71 seats, while the Congress won 69. Everyone, including the Congress, thought CM would be from the NCP. However, some decisions were taken at the highest level and a message came from Delhi that the NCP will get the deputy chief minister position and the CM post went to Congress," he said.
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Ajit Pawar also received an endorsement from an unexpected quarter - Sanjay Raut with whom he was engaged in a verbal tussle. "Who would not like to be chief minister? And Ajit Pawar is capable of becoming chief minister. He has been in politics for so many years now and has been minister several times. He holds a record for having served as deputy CM for the most number of times. Everyone thinks one should become CM," Raut said.
Earlier, ending all speculations that he may switch to BJP, Ajit Pawar had said that will remain in the party. "I want to tell NCP workers that all these reports about NCP MLAs in touch with the BJP are being spread to divert the attention from real issues," he said.
Meanwhile, the NCP announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections scheduled to be held next month. The party also announced the name of star campaigners along with the name of the candidates which exluded Ajit Pawar.
