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Ajit Pawar sacked, Jayant Patil named NCP’s legislature party leader
Before being sworn in, Ajit Pawar had allegedly handed over letters of support from all 54 NCP MLAs to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday removed Ajit Pawar as its legislature party leader after he joined hands with the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra and took oath as the deputy chief minister of the state. NCP leader Jayant Patil was named as the new legislature party leader in a late evening meeting.
“The decision to sack Ajit Pawar was taken at the meeting of the party’s MLAs here,” party sources said. NCP chief Sharad Pawar was present at the meeting.
“A resolution was passed unanimously that the party does not endorse Ajit Pawar’s decision and he has been removed as NCP legislature party leader. Till the election of a new leader, Jayant Patil is given responsibilities of the post,” NCP’s Nawab Malik said after the meeting of the party’s MLAs concluded.
“Five of our MLAs are not in contact with us, six are about to arrive and the rest have arrived. On the basis of numbers we have, we’ll defeat the government in election of speaker. After which, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government will definitely be formed in Maharashtra,” Malik added.
Before being sworn in, Ajit Pawar had allegedly handed over letters of support from all 54 NCP MLAs to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
He had been part of efforts to form a Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance and had attended most meetings held between the three political parties with his uncle Sharad Pawar over the past few days.
Taking no chances, the NCP leadership has shifted its MLAs to the Renaissance Hotel in Mumbai in an attempt to keep them together in the same place.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear on Sunday morning the joint plea of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and the Indian National Congress against the decision of the Maharashtra Governor inviting Devendra Fadnavis to form the government on November 23.
