In a dramatic turn of events which followed months of speculation that he was cosying up to the ruling BJP, the Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar — who is also NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew — led a vertical split in his party and joined hands with the National Democratic Alliance on Sunday afternoon. Though he claimed to have the support of all his party’s MLAs, his uncle made it clear he did not back the move.
Mr. Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the fifth time, setting a record for the largest number of appointments to this position since it was created in 1978. He will share the post with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds a battery of other portfolios, including Home and Finance.
