Maha: Hoarding comes up in Baramati supporting Sharad Pawar

Even as political equations in Maharashtra turned on the head on Saturday morning with NCP leader Ajit Pawar breaking his party to join hands with the BJP, a huge hoarding supporting Sharad Pawar came up in Baramati.

Ajit Pawar had won the 2019 Assembly elections from Baramati with a crushing 1.65 lakh votes, the biggest margin for any candidate in this election, despite a high-decibel campaign by the BJP.

The caption on the hoarding, with a photograph of Pawar senior, put up near the Baramati municipal council building, read 'we are with an 80-year-old fighter'.

The hoarding was the cynosure of all eyes before it was removed a couple of hours later.

Police officials said the hoarding was removed by civic officials because it was put up without permission.

In an early morning development, Ajit, nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and party legislative party leader, took oath as deputy of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who made a surprising comeback for the second time.

The Baramati MLA's move split the NCP down the middle, leading to the former Union minister tweeting that "Ajit Pawar's decision to support the BJP to form the Maharashtra Government is his personal decision and not that of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). We place on record that we do not support or endorse this decision of his."