Page 9 - Ajit Pawar

Zeeshan Siddique joins Ajit Pawar-led NCP, to contest from Bandra East

Maharashtra polls: In August, Baba Siddique's son Zeeshan was expelled from the Congress party, following allegations of voting against party lines in the Maharashtra legislative council elections

Maharashtra polls: Zeeshan Siddique, two former BJP MPs on NCP's 2nd list

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Friday released its second list, comprising seven candidates including MLA Zeeshan Siddique and two former BJP MPs, for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Zeeshan Siddique, whose father and NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead earlier this month, will contest from Bandra East, which he had won in 2019 on a Congress ticket. He also joined the NCP. The legislator on Thursday criticised the decision of the Shiv Sena (UBT), a partner of Congress in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), to field Varun Sardesai in his constituency for the November 20 polls, saying staying together was never in their nature. Zeeshan had been suspended from Congress for cross-voting in the recent legislative council elections. His father and Congress veteran Baba Siddique had crossed over to the NCP, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, earlier this year. Former BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar, who lost the Lok Sabha polls from Nanded, has been nominated from ..

NCP (SP) 1st list in Maha out, fields Yugendra against uncle Ajit Pawar

The NCP (SP) on Thursday announced the candidature of Yugendra Pawar against his uncle and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar from Baramati as the party released its first list of 45 candidates for the November 20 state assembly elections. Ajit Pawar, who became president of the Nationalist Congress Party after parting ways with his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar last year, is the sitting MLA from the Baramati assembly constituency in Pune district. His party has already announced that Ajit would contest from his traditional seat. Yugendra (32) is the son of Ajit Pawar's younger brother Shrinivas Pawar. Others in the NCP (SP) list included its state chief Jayant Patil (Islampur), Jitendra Awhad (Mumbra-Kalwa), Anil Deshmukh (Katol), Harshvardhan Patil (Indapur) and late NCP politician R R Patil's son Rohit Patil who is making a debut (Tasgaon-Kavthemahankal). Notably, in the Lok Sabha elections Ajit Pawar's wife and NCP candidate Sunetra Pawar had polled 5,73,979 ..

Maharashtra polls: NCP's first list out, Ajit Pawar to fight from Baramati

The Nationalist Congress Party has renominated 26 sitting MLAs, including leaders who had sided with Ajit Pawar during his rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar, which resulted in a split in the pa

Maharashtra elections: Spotlight on top CM candidates from Mahayuti, MVA

Maharashtra Assembly elections: Maharashtra is set to vote in a single phase on November 20, with the counting of votes set for November 23

Maharashtra polls: Congress' first list likely on Oct 20; BJP's in a week

The power struggle between the two coalitions, Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi, and among the six parties within the alliances is expected to shape an interesting election battle in Maharashtra

Maharashtra polls: Both alliances in conundrums over final candidate list

There is no sign that either alliance in Maharashtra is ready with a list of candidates for the Assembly election

Baba Siddique murder: Court remands accused to police custody till Oct 21

A court here on Sunday remanded one of the two accused arrested for allegedly shooting dead former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique to police custody till October 21. The court directed the police to conduct a bone ossification test to determine the age of the second accused after he claimed to be a minor. Police were directed to produce the second accused again after conducting the test. The court will then decide if proceedings against him will be conducted at a juvenile court or the regular court. Police produced the alleged assailants, identified as Haryana residence Gurmail Baljit Singh (23) and another man, a Uttar Pradesh native, in the court on Sunday afternoon. A former Congress veteran Siddique (66), who had joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP earlier this year, was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot at. He was taken to the Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead, police said. The crime

Don't politicise Baba Siddique's murder, says Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said his party leader Baba Siddique's murder should not be politicised and asserted the state government will not rest till the guilty are brought to book. Baba Siddique (66), a former state minister, was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot at on Saturday night. He was taken to the Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead. The incident prompted the opposition to target the Maharashtra government and raise questions over the law and order situation in the state, where the assembly elections are expected to be held next month. Ajit Pawar on Sunday visited the Cooper Hospital in Mumbai, where Baba Siddique's body was shifted for postmortem. He said the NCP has been devastated by the tragic loss of Baba Siddique, a leader deeply loved by many, and personally, he has lost a dear friend whom he had known for years. "We are heartbroken, struggling

NCP cancels party programmes scheduled for today over killing of Siddique

Calling the incident 'extremely unfortunate,' CM Shinde told the media that two suspects have been arrested, with one still at large

All is well, had another event: Ajit Pawar on leaving cabinet meet early

"I had to leave early to attend a scheduled programme at Ahmedpur in Marathwada region," the NCP chief said. "All the cabinet decisions taken yesterday have my approval," he added

Adequate monetary provision for 'Ladki Bahin' scheme: Dy CM Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said adequate monetary provision has been made for the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana', the state government's financial assistance scheme for women. Pawar was responding to the opposition's criticism that the scheme was putting a financial strain on the state treasury. The 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' is a flagship programme of the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government, under which eligible women are given Rs 1,500 assistance per month. "I am the Finance Minister of the state. I can confirm that our annual revenue stands at around Rs 42-43 lakh crore. We are adhering to the fiscal framework designed for the state by the Centre, and we have not exceeded those calculations. I have handled the finance portfolio for over 10 years and presented several budgets during that time," he said while talking to reporters. Salaries, pensions, repayment of the loan have to be given priority in the budget, and the remaining funds are used .

Talks positive, decision soon on seat-sharing: CM Shinde after meeting Shah

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as well as Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Though details of the meeting, which took place on Tuesday night, were not known, CM Shinde later said the meet was positive and "everything was going on smoothly." After the meeting, when reporters asked Shinde at the city airport about seat-sharing, the CM said, "The meeting was positive and a decision will be taken soon. Talks are moving ahead positively with co-ordination." Senior BJP leader Amit Shah is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra from Tuesday. The ruling Mahayuti partners -- Shiv Sena led by Shinde, BJP and the Ajit Pawar-headed NCP -- have been holding discussions on seat-sharing for the state assembly polls, which are likely to be held in November. Union ministers Amit Shah and Bhupender Yadav, CM Shinde and his deputy Fadnavis reached a hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for a

Give new poll symbol to Ajit Pawar led NCP too: Sharad Pawar group

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule has said they have requested the Supreme Court to treat the two NCP factions equally and just as their party was given a new poll symbol, the same should be followed for the rival group led by Ajit Pawar. The NCP (SP) has sought "natural justice" from the Supreme Court, Lok Sabha member Sule told reporters on Saturday. The move comes ahead of the state assembly elections, likely to be held in November. Ajit Pawar along with several other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in July 2023, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar. The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, had 'clock' as its election symbol before the split. In February this year, the Election Commission allotted the NCP name and the 'clock' symbol to the Ajit Pawar-led group. On March 19, the top court allowed the Sharad Pawar faction to use 'Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar' as its name along with the symbol of man blowing t

Some from a party using offensive language against a community: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that certain individuals from a party were making objectionable remarks targeting a specific community, asserting that the NCP strongly opposes such language. He was apparently referring to BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, who in a recent video can be seen telling a gathering that they should have business transactions only with Hindus. Kankvali MLA Nitesh Rane, son of former Union minister Narayan Rane, was earlier in the eye of a storm for threatening Muslims over the community's protests against offensive remarks by Nashik-based spiritual leader Ramgiri Maharaj. Addressing a gathering in Chakan here, Pawar said on Thursday, Today, certain individuals from a political party use denigrating language targeting a particular community and religion. We do not support such language and we strongly oppose it. This kind of objectionable language creates rift in society. He also asked the gathering not to be emotional while voting and sought their

Maha CM Shinde launches campaign to raise awareness on 10 govt schemes

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has launched a campaign to create awareness on 10 schemes of his Mahayuti government catering to the youth, women, farmers and elderly people. Under the 'Ladki Bahin Kutumb Bhet Abhiyaan' launched on Monday, Shinde's party Shiv Sena aims to reach out to more than one crore families in the state. The move comes amid cracks in the ruling alliance over the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for omitting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's name from advertisements and promotional material of the government's flagship scheme. The state assembly polls are likely to be held in November. The CM, who launched the campaign on Monday, said his party workers will try to increase the awareness of 10 government schemes like the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides Rs 1,500 every month to eligible women in the state, the ...

Ajit Pawar's 'remorse' won't help him win poll from Baramati: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said there is no point in Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar "repenting" some of his political actions and claimed the NCP leader would lose the upcoming assembly poll from his home turf Baramati. Raut's remarks came after Ajit Pawar recently admitted publicly that he had made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and said politics should not enter the home. Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year along with some other NCP leaders, leading to a split in the party founded by Sharad Pawar. On Sunday, Ajit Pawar said he was satisfied with the development work he had carried out as a legislator, adding that people of Baramati for once must get an MLA other than him so they could make comparisons. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief has been MLA from Baramati since 1991. In the 20

Society doesn't like rift in families; realised my mistake: Ajit Pawar

Noting that society doesn't like rifts in families, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he experienced it and has already admitted his mistake, an apparent reference to the contest between his wife Sunetra and cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls. This is the second time in less than a month that NCP leader Pawar publicly admitted he had made a mistake by fielding his wife against NCP (SP) leader Sule, the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar, and noted politics should not enter the home. The "admission" of mistake came against the backdrop of poor performance by the NCP, one of the constituents of the Mahayuti alliance in the state, in its maiden general elections after a split in the party. Addressing the Jansamman rally organised by the NCP in Gadchiroli city on Friday, Ajit Pawar tried to discourage party leader and state minister Dharmarao Baba Aatram's daughter Bhagyashri from crossing over to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Speculation is going ..

Funds transferred to 17 mn beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin scheme: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said the ambit of the Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme will be expanded to cover 2.5 crore women even as the state government has transferred money into the bank accounts of 1.7 crore beneficiaries so far. The chief minister launched the second phase of the scheme at Reshimbagh ground here in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Women and Child Welfare Minister Aditi Tatkare. "We were not born with a golden spoon. We belong to the family of farmers. Having experienced poverty, we understood why a scheme like this was necessary. We know the value of Rs 1,500," Shinde said. The Ladki Bahin Scheme provides monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to married, divorced, and destitute women in the 21-60 age group with a Rs 2.5 lakh annual family income ceiling. The chief minister said the state government deposited money in the bank accounts of 1.7 crore women in the first phase of th

Time for BJP to throw NCP out of Mahayuti: NCP (SP) over 'nausea' jibe

The NCP (SP) on Friday latched onto Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant's remark that he feels like vomiting after sitting next to NCP ministers, saying it's time for the BJP to throw Ajit Pawar's party out of Mahayuti. It's also the time for Ajit Pawar to "wake up and smell the coffee", said the rival party led by his uncle Sharad Pawar. The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP are the partners in the ruling coalition Mahayuti. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Sawant's remark shows that Mahayuti does not need the NCP any longer. The RSS' mouthpiece had questioned the BJP why they aligned with Ajit Pawar. The BJP cadre is also posing the same question, he said. Now, Shinde Sena leaders are saying derogatory things like feeling nauseating when they sit next to NCP leaders, Crasto said. The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti. All is not well and cracks are getting bigger by the day. "It is time for Ajit Pawar to wake up an