Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy CM ahead of floor test
Three days after taking oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, NCP's Ajit Pawar on Tuesday resigned from the post. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday. Pawar resignation came just hours after the Supreme Court of India ordered an immediate floor test in the Maharashtra assembly.
Confirming the report of Ajit Pawar's resignation, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, "Ajit dada has resigned and he is with us. Uddhav Thackeray will be the Chief Minister of #Maharashtra for 5 years."
After joining hands with the BJP and becoming Devendra Fadnavis's deputy, Ajit Pawar had claimed the support of all 54 MLAs of his party NCP, but his uncle Sharad Pawar had contested it. According to reports, Devendra Fadnavis may also resign.
In the meantime, NCP leader Jayant Patil said that he has not been informed about Ajit Pawar's resignation till now. " It's you from whom I have come to know about the resignation of Ajit Pawar. I don't know about it, I would like to make a comment on it only after getting to know everything about it."
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court directed Fadnavis to prove his majority in a televised test of strength that would not be carried out by secret ballot. "If the floor test is delayed, there is a possibility of horse-trading, it becomes incumbent upon the Court to act to protect democratic values. An immediate floor test, in such a case, might be the most effective mechanism to do so," the Supreme Court said, in a massive setback to the BJP on a day India paid tribute to its Constitution.
The BJP and Shiv Sena had fought the Maharashtra Assembly election as an alliance but parted ways after the results were announced over sharing the chief ministerial post. As the parties reached an impasse, Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress came together to stake claim. However, in a surprise move on Saturday, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari swore-in Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as the chief minister and the deputy chief minister respectively.
