Posters stating Ajit Pawar 'future CM' put up in Maharashtra

Hours after Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar returned to the party fold, posters calling him the 'future Chief Minister of Maharashtra' were put up here in Baramati on Wednesday.

The posters put up NCP workers state, "...let us decide now what you should or should not do. Whole of Maharashtra is looking towards you as a future Chief Minister".

Ajit Pawar, who won from Pune's Baramati seat with a margin of 1.65 lakh votes, back stabbed his party on Saturday after joining hands with the BJP and becoming deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in the state.

Following the merger, the NCP sacked him as its legislature unit leader. However, he continues to be a member of the party.

In a surprising development on Tuesday, he stepped down from the post of Deputy Chief Minister citing "personal reason", following which Fadnavis too stepped down as chief minister stating that BJP did not have a majority with Ajit's quitting.

Earlier in the day, Pawar said that he was with NCP and he is still with the same party.

"I have already said that I was with NCP and I am with NCP. Have they expelled me? Have you heard or read this anywhere? I am still with NCP. Whatever decision will be taken by the party, I'll accept it," said Pawar while speaking to the media.

In another development, Pawar took oath in Vidhansabha today, as an elected Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).

"As an elected Member of Legislative Assembly of NCP, took oath in Vidhan Sabha today. Pledged to respect and have faith in our Constitution, maintain the sovereignty and unity of our country while fulfilling all my duties diligently," Ajit Pawar tweeted.

The oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected MLAs began in Maharashtra Assembly in a special session on Wednesday after days of political uncertainty and surprising turn of events in the state.

The oath was administered by newly appointed pro-tem speaker Kalidas Kolambkar here at the Raj Bhavan.

Later in the evening, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to form the government, following which the Governor announced that Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as the Chief Minister of the state on Thursday at Shivaji Park at 6.40 pm.