The rift within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has intensified with the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar submitting a petition to Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking the disqualification of 10 MLAs aligned with the Sharad Pawar group.
The petition filed on Thursday by Anil Bhaidas Patil, the chief whip of the Ajit Pawar faction, was reportedly in retaliation to the Sharad Pawar group’s move to petition the Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council, Neelam Gorhe, on September 11 to disqualify the rebel MLCs of the NCP.
The 10 MLAs named by the Ajit faction in its petition are Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Rajesh Tope, Rohit Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Prajakt Tanpure, Balasaheb Patil, Sunil Bhusara, Sandeep Kshirsagar, and Suman Patil.
The struggle for supremacy has ensued within the NCP since July 2, when Mr. Ajit Pawar split the NCP by joining the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government.
The day after the rebellion, the Sharad Pawar group had moved a disqualification petition against the nine MLAs who were sworn in as Ministers. The faction led by Mr. Ajit Pawar has also staked claim to the party name and symbol before the Election Commission.
The Sharad Pawar faction also filed disqualification petitions against 40 MLAs who had allied with Mr. Ajit Pawar.
‘Set for another blow’
According to sources, the Sharad Pawar faction is set to receive another major blow as an MLA and an MP from the group are set to join the rival faction.
Rohit Pawar, MLA and Sharad Pawar’s grand nephew, said on Friday that leaders within the Ajit Pawar faction were “pressuring” the remaining MLAs loyal to Sharad Pawar to switch camps. “MLAs are being forced to sign affidavits to side with the Ajit Pawar camp. Else, they are being told they will not receive funds for the development of their constituencies,” he said.
Countering the allegations, Sunil Shelke, an MLA from the Ajit Pawar camp, said it was Mr. Rohit who had first urged Mr. Ajit Pawar to join the BJP. “Now that Ajit Pawar has finally joined the government, Rohit Pawar is trying to get close to Sharad Pawar in a bid to capture the space created in the party. Soon after Eknath Shinde’s revolt [that split the Shiv Sena] last year, it was Rohit who had egged on Ajit Pawar to ally with the BJP. However, the Deputy CM had told him to first seek Sharad Pawar’s permission on the matter,” he said.
