NCP split: Ajit faction submits disqualification plea against Sharad's MLAs

The Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party has submitted a petition to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar seeking disqualification of 10 MLAs affiliated to party founder Sharad Pawar.

The petition was filed on Thursday by Anil Bhaidas Patil, who is the chief whip of the Ajit Pawar faction.

The 10 MLAs named in the petition are Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Rajesh Tope, Rohit Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Prajakt Tanpure, Balasaheb Patil, Sunil Bhusara, Sandeep Kshirsagar and Suman Patil, said Anil Bhaidas Patil.

Incidentally, the Sharad Pawar faction has already filed disqualification petition against 40 MLAs who allied with Ajit Pawar.

The NCP has 53 MLAs in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, with legislators like Nawab Malik and Suman Patil maintaining a neutral stance.

On July 2, the NCP suffered a split after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and Dilip Walse Patil, joined the Eknath Shinde government.

Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister while the other eight were made ministers.

The Sharad Pawar group has also submitted disqualification petition against seven of these nine MLAs.

Both factions have claimed the party name and symbol and have also appointed functionaries.