Ajit Pawar's NCP faces setback as top leaders resign to join Sharad Pawar

NCP Pimpri-Chinchwad Unit Chief Ajit Gavahane and three others from the unit have quit Ajit Pawar's NCP faction to join Sharad Pawar

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar suffered a significant blow on Tuesday as four top leaders from Pimpri-Chinchwad, including Unit Chief Ajit Gavahane resigned. Following their resignation, the leaders officially joined the NCP (Sharad Pawar) [NCP-SCP] faction on Wednesday.

NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad Unit Chief Ajit Gavahane on Tuesday told The Indian Express, "I have quit the NCP… I have submitted my resignation to my party president." When asked if he will join Sharad Pawar's faction, the leader said, "You will know which party I am joining.”

Gavahane's resignation came after unsuccessful attempts to secure the Bhosari Assembly seat for the NCP. Despite meeting Ajit Pawar to discuss contesting the seat, currently held by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mahesh Landge, his efforts were in vain.

Top NCP leaders join Sharad Pawar

Several other NCP office-bearers, former corporators, and leaders also followed Gavahane, joining Sharad Pawar at his residence in Pune.

Following the joining, NCP-SCP leader and National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto explained that Ajit Pawar's NCP faction's lackluster performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha has led to this change.

Crasto told ANI, "In Lok Sabha elections, the NCP led by Ajit Pawar performed very badly. All those who went with him saw defeat. Now, all those people who went with him are saying that if they stick with Ajit Pawar then they might lose the upcoming elections...Before Assembly elections, many people may leave Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde."

Speaking to reporters, NCP-SCP working president Supriya Sule said, "I think everyone has different experiences in the party. We never let our ideology, and the ideology of development diminish. Pawar Sahab has been working continuously for the last 60 years in Maharashtra and at Centre for development. We believe in the ideology of Pawar Sahab but others too look at him with great hopes and are therefore joining him."

Sharad Pawar urges parties to work together

Earlier, Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal met with Sharad Pawar on Monday to discuss resolving clashes over Maratha and Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations. This meeting marked Bhujbal's first encounter with Sharad Pawar since the NCP split in July last year. During the meeting, Sharad Pawar emphasised the need for parties to work together to solve pressing issues in the state.

After the meeting, Bhujbal said, "NCP-SCP Chief Sharad Pawar knows how the people of different communities are living in villages. I told him that there are clashes in villages in connection with the Maratha reservation. This can be stopped if leaders of all parties come together, otherwise, the situation will keep worsening. He (Sharad Pawar) said he would speak to CM Shinde and try to bring out a solution."

Pawar vs Pawar: NCP split

Ajit Pawar split from Sharad Pawar's NCP last year, joining the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra. This move positioned him as Deputy Chief Minister under Eknath Shinde's leadership, with eight other NCP members also taking office as MLAs on the same day.

Following the split, Sharad Pawar initiated a series of dismissals and reappointments within his faction, including filing disqualification petitions against Ajit Pawar and the other members who joined the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. The Election Commission eventually recognised Ajit Pawar’s faction as the legitimate NCP as they had the majority support with more than 40 of NCP’s 53 MLAs.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sharad Pawar's faction, part of the INDIA bloc, proved stronger, winning eight out of the ten seats they contested, while Ajit Pawar's faction secured only one. Consequently, the Ajit Pawar faction, part of the Mahayuti alliance, was excluded from Modi's Cabinet post-elections, with NCP offered only a Minister of State (MoS) position, which was deemed a "demotion" by party leaders.