The photo of Supriya Sule's welcome hug to Ajit Pawar, captured by camerapersons in Maharashtra Assembly today was undoubtedly the most clicked moment of the day. Take a look at this picture-postcards from India as we also bring to you some stunning photos from Kashmir.
The Nationalist Congress Party is likely to elect Ajit Pawar again as its floor leader in the House ahead of the swearing-in on Thursday, sources within the Sharad Pawar-led party indicated.
Ajit Pawar on Tuesday resigned as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, citing "personal reason", following which Fadnavis too stepped down as chief minister, leading to collapse of the BJP-led government.
Pawar's resignation comes hours after the Supreme Court ordered a floor test in Maharashtra assembly for tomorrow.
The NCP is busy trying keep its flock together in Mumbai with MLAs hopping between hotels while party supremo Sharad Pawar is sending his top aides to bring back his rebel nephew Ajit Pawar from the BJP's fold but the exercise has proved futile till now.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday told the Supreme Court that he is from the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and has been authorised by 54 of the party's MLAs to take a decision on their behalf on government formation in the state.
Sharad Pawar-Ajit Pawar, Bal Thackeray-Raj Thackeray, Gopinath Munde-Dhananjay Munde. Troubled uncle-nephew relationships have rocked the boat of more than one party trying to steer its way through Maharashtra's troubled political waters with the crisis in the NCP only the latest in the series.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said he was not behind Ajit Pawar's decision to align with the BJP and become the deputy chief minister, and asserted that his party along with Congress and Shiv Sena will form the next government in Maharashtra. Addressing reporters in Karad town of neighbouring Satara district, the NCP chief reiterated that the decision of aligning with the BJP was that of his nephew Ajit Pawar and not of the NCP.
Joining hands with rivals BJP, Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister along with Devendra Fadnavis who took oath as the chief minister in a hushed-up event at the Raj Bhavan.
Attacking BJP government in Maharashtra, Congress party said the BJP and Ajit Pawar, who broke away with NCP to be part of Maharashtra government, were running away from the floor test. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also alleged that BJP misused the office of Governor. Surjewala claimed that the NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena combine has a majority in the state Assembly.
Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Saturday. The development came hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress arrived at a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate.
Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Sunday night alleged that the BJP was using NCP leader and newly-anointed deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar to "confuse" people.
NCP MLAs have reportedly told Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena Supremo Uddhav Thackeray that they have been getting calls from Ajit Pawar offering them ministerial positions in the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government.
NCP rebel Ajit Pawar has tweeted that he has always been and will always be a part of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). "I am in the NCP and shall always be in the NCP and @PawarSpeaks Saheb is our leader," said Pawar.
After being removed as the NCPs leader of legilature party, Ajit Pawar thanks PM Modi for congratulating him and promises a stable government in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, in a show of unity, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar address NCP MLAs at Hotel Renaissance in Mumbai.
Shiv Sena senior leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday took a dig at BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar's early morning oath-taking ceremony by calling it 'Accidental Shapath Grahan' (accidental swearing-in). Raut's tweet comes hours before the Supreme Court hearing on the combine petition filed by the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party seeking quashing of the Maharashtra Governor's decision to swear-in BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister.
Pawar was removed as the NCP's legislature unit leader on Saturday, hours after he joined hands with the BJP in a coup and took oath as deputy of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
He spent Saturday at his brother's home in Mumbai even as his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar attended a party meeting where most of the NCP MLAs were present.
It was a night of long knives in Maharashtra politics that saw it all -- coup within a family, outsmarting the smartest Maratha politician Sharad Pawar -- and invocation of Rule 12 of the the Government of India (Transaction of Business) to bypass the need of Union Cabinet's approval for revocation of the President's rule.
BREAKING NEWS: Ajit Pawar has been sacked as NCP Legislature group leader. Jayant Patil has been elected in his place. Earlier on Saturday, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Deputy CM respectively.
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