Ajit Pawar to make comeback in Maha govt as Dy CM tomorrow

Pawar will be sworn in at 10 am at Raj Bhavan, sources close to the NCP leader told PTI this evening.

After the White Paper on irrigation scam was presented before the state Cabinet last fortnight, it was a matter of time before Ajit was re-inducted, they said.

In the period after he stepped down, the party had desisted from naming any other NCP leader as deputy chief minister, leading to speculation that the post was being kept vacant for Ajit to reoccupy it.

The decks for re-induction of Ajit, nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, were cleared following the presentation of the White Paper.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said party activists wanted Ajit to rejoin the government and would convey their feelings to the leadership.

There was a growing clamour for Ajit's comeback before the winter session of the state legislature, which begins at Nagpur on December 10, from several NCP leaders and activists.