Express News Service
MUMBAI: In the power struggle between the Pawars in Maharashtra, the senior Pawar appears to have chosen to play hardball with his nephew.
The 82-year-old seasones politician Sharad Pawar has managed to win over 19 legislators to his side and is said to be wooing six more from his nephew Ajit Pawar’s faction. Sharad Pawar has got the signed affidavits of 19 MLAs who are with the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, say sources.
If all goes well for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder, the ongoing power struggle could end up in his favour, say political observers.
“We have the support of 19 Ajit Pawar faction legislators. Six more legislators have expressed their wish to return to our faction. If Ajit Pawar fails to get the support of 36 out of the total of 53 MLAs in the NCP, the consequence would be that they will face disqualification,” NCP Sharad Pawar faction state president Jayant Patil said.
“With the numbers, they presently boast to have, the Ajit Pawar faction can either merge with the BJP or the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. There is no such provision in the 10th schedule of the Indian constitution to declare the elected representative of state legislation as a political party and the recent supreme court verdict is also on that line,” said Jitendra Awhad, the NCP, Sharad Pawar-faction leader and chief whip.
However, Praful Patel, the working president of NCP (Ajit Pawar) has no doubt about the longevity of the newly sprouted faction which has joined the NDA-led government in Maharashtra.
“We are the original NCP, not Sharad Pawar’s,” he claimed.
Patel said that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP failed to hold party elections for several years. “They have no right to claim themselves as ‘real’ NCP. We went to the Election Commission of India, seeking the party name and symbol, for our faction by explaining all these,” he noted.
A senior leader in the NCP, on condition of anonymity, said that after the split in Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar amended their party constitution to give more rights to the national party president and working committee. Hence, Praful Patel was the working president. As per the party constitution, there is no such post. So his decision appointing Sunil Tatkare as state president is not legally tenable.”
MUMBAI: In the power struggle between the Pawars in Maharashtra, the senior Pawar appears to have chosen to play hardball with his nephew.
The 82-year-old seasones politician Sharad Pawar has managed to win over 19 legislators to his side and is said to be wooing six more from his nephew Ajit Pawar’s faction. Sharad Pawar has got the signed affidavits of 19 MLAs who are with the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, say sources.
If all goes well for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder, the ongoing power struggle could end up in his favour, say political observers.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“We have the support of 19 Ajit Pawar faction legislators. Six more legislators have expressed their wish to return to our faction. If Ajit Pawar fails to get the support of 36 out of the total of 53 MLAs in the NCP, the consequence would be that they will face disqualification,” NCP Sharad Pawar faction state president Jayant Patil said.
“With the numbers, they presently boast to have, the Ajit Pawar faction can either merge with the BJP or the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. There is no such provision in the 10th schedule of the Indian constitution to declare the elected representative of state legislation as a political party and the recent supreme court verdict is also on that line,” said Jitendra Awhad, the NCP, Sharad Pawar-faction leader and chief whip.
However, Praful Patel, the working president of NCP (Ajit Pawar) has no doubt about the longevity of the newly sprouted faction which has joined the NDA-led government in Maharashtra.
“We are the original NCP, not Sharad Pawar’s,” he claimed.
Patel said that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP failed to hold party elections for several years. “They have no right to claim themselves as ‘real’ NCP. We went to the Election Commission of India, seeking the party name and symbol, for our faction by explaining all these,” he noted.
A senior leader in the NCP, on condition of anonymity, said that after the split in Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar amended their party constitution to give more rights to the national party president and working committee. Hence, Praful Patel was the working president. As per the party constitution, there is no such post. So his decision appointing Sunil Tatkare as state president is not legally tenable.”
