A day after Ajit Pawar said he does not want to remain the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly and wants to immerse himself in party work, NCP working president Supriya Sule said as a sister she wants his brother's wishes to be fulfilled. Supriya Sule who always maintained cordiality with Ajit Pawar and dismissed rumours of any rift between them for party positions told reporters on Thursday: "I also want that Ajit dada's wishes to get fulfilled. It will be the decision of the organisation whether Ajit dada will be given a party position or not but I am very happy that he wants to work for the party. Our party workers will be encouraged. Whether he will be made the state chief or not depends on the party. But as a sister, I want my brother's all wishes to come true."
No role for Ajit Pawar in recent rejig
Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar who is now the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly was not given any party post in the recent rejig while Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel were made the working presidents of the party. The decision hinted at an inside feud which was papered over by Sharad Pawar as he said Ajit Pawar himself took the decision of promoting Supriya Sule and Praful Patel to the post of working presidents. Sharad Pawar also said that Ajit Pawar was not given any party position because he already had the responsibility as the LoP.
'Don't want to be LoP, free me'
In an address to the party workers where Sharad Pawar was also present, Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said he was never interested to work as Leader of the Opposition but accepted the role to keep the demand of the party MLAs. "Assign me any post in the party organisation and I will do complete justice to whatever responsibility I am entrusted with," Ajit Pawar said adding that he has always carried out all responsibilities given to him and will do so if he gets a party post.
Ajit Pawar vs Jayant Patil: What is going on in NCP?
{{/usCountry}}In an address to the party workers where Sharad Pawar was also present, Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said he was never interested to work as Leader of the Opposition but accepted the role to keep the demand of the party MLAs. "Assign me any post in the party organisation and I will do complete justice to whatever responsibility I am entrusted with," Ajit Pawar said adding that he has always carried out all responsibilities given to him and will do so if he gets a party post.
Ajit Pawar vs Jayant Patil: What is going on in NCP?
{{/usCountry}}Factional feud in the NCP is not new and according to the faction against Ajit Pawar, Ajit Pawar is not a very strong voice of the opposition in the Assembly. His past closeness with the BJP -- he joined hands with the BJP in 2019 and took oath as the deputy chif minister -- has contributed to this image, detrimental for an LoP. Ajit Pawar directly addressed the issue on Wednesday and said, "I am told that I don't act tough as the leader of the opposition".
Jayant Patil is the chief of the Maharashtra NCP. Whether there will be a swap between Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Shine Sena faction claimed that Jayant Patil is all set to join the BJP.