Facing enforcement directorate probe in a money laundering case, senior NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar resigned as an MLA on Friday.
Pune, India - Sept. 22, 2019: Ajit Pawar at NCP meet at Annabhau Sathe auditorium in Pune, India, on Sunday, September 22, 2019. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)
Ajit, a six-term MLA from Baramati assembly constituency, is nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
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Ajit submitted his resignation to the speaker Haribhau Bagade on Friday evening, which was accepted by the latter.
The reasons for the resignation are still not clear. It is not known whether he is quitting the party or turning a rebel. NCP leaders are still in dark over his decision.
He was also not present with the NCP chief when he was planning to go to enforcement directorate office in Mumbai in connection with the 25,000-crore MSC Bank scam.
The rift between Pawar and Ajit was clear when the NCP chief ticked off his nephew over the latter’s announcement that the party will also be using saffron flags along with hits tricolour flag in its functions.
Pawar has said the decision to use saffron flags was taken by Ajit Pawar in his personal capacity and not by the party.
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Before the Lok Sabha elections, senior Pawar and Ajit had differences over fielding the latter’s son Parth in the elections. Parth contested from Maval constituency but lost the election.
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Before the Lok Sabha elections, senior Pawar and Ajit had differences over fielding the latter’s son Parth in the elections. Parth contested from Maval constituency but lost the election.
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Pawar is expected to speak to the media later today.
Faisal Malik is a senior journalist with over two and a half decades of experience covering Maharashtra’s politics, governance and public policy with a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. He is a Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times and has been associated with its Mumbai edition for more than a decade. Based in Mumbai, Faisal currently covers three major political parties in Maharashtra — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Over the years, he has extensively reported on major political developments, combining investigative insights with in-depth field reporting. His coverage has spanned a wide range of issues, from drought, farmer suicides, major development projects and grassroots challenges to major electoral battles, including three Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections — 2014, 2019 and 2024. Before joining Hindustan Times, he worked with ‘The Asian Age’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’. An avid tea enthusiast, he enjoys reading history, Urdu literature and classical poetry. When away from the newsroom, he writes Urdu poetry inspired by human emotions, life's experiences, meaningful reflections and relationships. An amateur photographer, Faisal is passionate about capturing moments that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.
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