Moments after taking oath as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra on Sunday, National Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar made a change to his Twitter bio. It now reads, “Deputy Chief Minister Maharashtra”, along with other tags such as “Member of Legislative Assembly, Baramati, Former LoP (Leader of Opposition), and NCP leader.” Follow LIVE updates on NCP crisis here
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In a surprising move, the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP has decided to join the Shinde-Fadnavis led government. Along with Ajit Pawar, a total of nine MLAs have been sworn in as ministers and inducted into the cabinet.
After the oath-taking ceremony
During a press conference immediately after the swearing-in ceremony in Mumbai, Ajit Pawar on Sunday said, "We joined for the purpose of development. Modi is leading the country and working towards its progress. We felt the need to support him. The opposition is attempting to unite and hold meetings, but each state has its own unique circumstances, and these meetings have not yielded any results."
NCP Leader Ajit Pawar takes oath as deputy CM of Maharashtra; 8 other MLAs join cabinet | Pics
Following NCP leader Ajit Pawar's oath-taking as the deputy chief minister, CM Eknath Shinde said, “Maharashtra will now move forward swiftly with one chief minister and two deputy chief ministers. We support a politics focused on development, which is led by a leader committed to progress. Sometimes, when a deserving party worker is given a secondary role, such situations arise.”
Criticism after Ajit Pawar's move
{{/usCountry}}Following NCP leader Ajit Pawar's oath-taking as the deputy chief minister, CM Eknath Shinde said, “Maharashtra will now move forward swiftly with one chief minister and two deputy chief ministers. We support a politics focused on development, which is led by a leader committed to progress. Sometimes, when a deserving party worker is given a secondary role, such situations arise.”
Criticism after Ajit Pawar's move
{{/usCountry}}Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Sunday that Sharad Pawar, the supremo of NCP, remains undeterredby the party split and is ready for a fresh start. Raut tweeted, “I just spoke with Sharad Pawar of the NCP. He assured me of his strong determination and the unwavering support of the people. We can begin anew with Uddhav Thackeray.”
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Priyanka Chaturvedi, another Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid the swearing-in ceremony of Ajit Pawar as the deputy chief minister, along with other MLAs taking on ministerial roles in the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde.
Referring to the BJP as a “political opportunist”, Chaturvedi said that they should be the last party to talk about ideological alliances. She said in a tweet, “They (BJP) are only political opportunists who desire power at any cost. With the recent developments in Maharashtra, those MLAs who were involved in corruption and imprisoned are now being sworn in as ministers!”