Maha Pawar-Play: Ajit Pawar reaches out to Sharad Pawar, meets uncle at his residence

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Former NCP legislative party leader and nephew of party chief Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar has reached out to his uncle after siding with the BJP for most part of the last few days. Ajit Pawar stepped down as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra earlier today making sure that Devendra Fadnavis' second stint as Chief Minister ends in just about 3 days. Ajit Pawar was sacked as the legislative party leader of the NCP shortly after he was sworn in as the Maharashtra Deputy CM. Now, after his resignation, he went to meet his uncle, Sharad Pawar by going to meet him at his residence -- Silver Oak. 

Suddenly out of job as Deputy Chief Minister, Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar is certainly not out of the reckoning, both within the family and party, as dramatic political events unfolded all of Tuesday.

Contrary to speculation, he remained absent from the mega-meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi which unanimously elected Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray as the new CM, barely three hours after the 80-hour regime of Devendra Fadnavis who quit as CM this evening.

But he was not forgotten at the Maha Vikas Aghadi jamboree with at least two leaders, including former Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal, making a reference and suggesting that he should be invited back to the NCP fold.

Shiv Sena leader and MLA from Aurangabad Abdul Sattar Nabi, while declining to comment on the NCP's internal affairs, felt that the services of an experienced and senior leader like Ajit Pawar should be utilized for the benefit of the state.

On his part, Ajit Pawar has not fully burnt his bridges with either the family or the party, and has studiously refrained from reacting to any statements or actions by the NCP in the past four days.

He readily met all top leaders of the NCP at a series of meetings held since Sunday, till this morning, in a final meeting with some close family members reportedly at the instance of NCP President Sharad Pawar, that apparently helped his resolve to quit the sudden alliance with the BJP.

"Till the very last minute, there were murmurs that despite the claims of 162 made by the MVA parties, at least 12-15 of hard-core supporters could sour things for the proposed Thackeray-led government. But everything seems to have worked out favourably," said a senior NCP leader, requesting anonymity.

However, the unprecedented 'public parade' of the 162 MLAs late on Monday, followed by the Supreme Court's directives on the open ballot and live telecast of the assembly proceedings, proved to be the nemesis of the Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar two-man government.

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