Maharashtra NCP crisis: Ajit Pawar who jumped the ship and joined hands with BJP-led Maharashtra government and was made the deputy chief minister may hold a plum post, sources said. NCP leader Ajit Pawar along with eight MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif, joined the Eknath Shinde government on Sunday, vertically splitting the party. The NCP has 53 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and his colleagues from NCP on Tuesday attended the cabinet meeting, for the first time after taking oath as ministers.
- Ajit Pawar: Revenue or Energy.
- Chhagan Bhujbal: OBC Bahujan Development.
- Dilip Walse Patil: Cultural work.
- Dharmarao Atram: Tribal Development
- Dhananjay Munde: Social Justice
- Aditi Tatkare: Women and Child Development.
- Anil Patil: Food Supply.
- Sanjay Bansode: Sports and Youth Welfare.
Notably, NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of party chief Sharad Pawar, on Monday had claimed that senior leaders had an inkling of BJP's 'intention' to break the party, but were clueless about Ajit Pawar's swift move to join hands with the ruling alliance.
Veteran NCP chief Sharad Pawar who called the entire episode a 'robbery' has moved a petition before Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking disqualification of Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have taken oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led government.
