NCP LIVE Updates: 'You Are 82, Just Give Blessings': Ajit Targets Sharad Pawar
Catch all updates of the two NCP meetings scheduled in Mumbai here.
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Meetings of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar Factions Today
With neither sides having given a clear figure of the number of MLAs supporting them yet, both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions have issued whips to respective supporting MLAs to attend 'party meetings' called by the respective chiefs in Mumbai.
While Sharad Pawar will chair the meeting at Mumbai's YB Chavan centre, Ajit Pawar will hold it in Bandra.
Who Has the Numbers?
With neither sides having given a clear figure of the number of MLAs supporting them yet, the two meetings in Mumbai are expected to bring forth the exact numbers.
While the Ajit faction claims to have submitted a letter of support of 43 MLAs to the Governor, at least three MLAs have publicly claimed so far that they were misled into signing it.
Ajit faction leader and NCP working president Praful Patel on Tuesday said that they have the support of "over 40 MLAs."
Jayant Patil, the state NCP chief according to the Sharad Pawar faction, said on Tuesday that barring the nine ministers who took
Meeting os Sharad Pawar Faction at 1:00 pm
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar will hold a meeting of supporting MLAs and MPs at 1:00 pm today.
Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel at Bandra Meeting Venue
Nine ministers who joined the the Maharashtra cabinet on Sunday after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP split the party are all present at the venue in Bandra where a meeting of the faction is scheduled.
Anil Deshmukh, Supriya Sule at YB Chavan Centre
NCP leaders Supriya Sule, Anil Deshmukh, Praful Patel, and Rajendra Shingne have reached YB Chavan centre in Mumbai to attend the meeting to be chaired by Sharad Pawar.
Opinion: In Pawarland, There is Far More Than What Meets the Eye
There is a growing school of thought that Sunday’s rebellion in the NCP is somehow linked to the other side of Pawar’s politics – commanding presence in the cooperative sector for which the state is well-known. From agriculture to dairy, micro-finance to banking and more, the cooperative sector has a wide and deep presence across the state with lakhs of people involved in its networks in one way or another.
Ajit Pawar Reaches Meeting Venue
Ajit Pawar arrived at the MET grounds in Bandra where he is scheduled to chair a meeting of supporting MLAs. He was accompanied by Dilip Walse Patil and Hasan Mushrif who also took oath as ministers on Sunday.
NCP Flag Hoisted at Ajit Pawar's Meeting
Supporters of Ajit Pawar hoisted the party flag at the MET Grounds in Mumbai where he is scheduled to chair a meeting of supporting MLAs.
'Kept Father in the Dark': Supriya Sule Details Events of Sunday
In an interview to The Times of India (TOI), NCP working President and MP Supriya Sule detailed what transpired ahead of Ajit Pawar's oath-taking ceremony on 2 July.
Sule said that she was in the dark about her cousin Ajit Pawar's decision to join the ruling alliance in Maharashtra. She said that she held talks with Ajit Pawar "for a long time" before MLAs started pouring in for a meeting called by Ajit Pawar, who she assumed were called to discuss the elections to the post of the state president.
Here's what she said:
"Indeed, I am disappointed. In the past too, senior leaders have left the party, but it was never a secret. They met Pawar and explained their reasons for leaving the organisation did not stop them. I am not surprised, but I am shocked."
"It could have been done in a more dignified manner, instead of keeping her father in the dark."
Sule said she was disappointed by his decision to join hands with the Shinde-Fadnavis team.
She refuted claims of Sharad Pawar having orchestrated the split, adding that he would not have launched a state-wide agitation to revive the party in that case.
"Sharad Pawar has acted swiftly, disqualification proceedings have been initiated against Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare."
'Didn't Just Wake Up One Morning and...': Ajit Pawar Kicks Off Meeting
Ajit Pawar kicked off the public meeting at Mumbai's MET Grounds where 30 MLAs are reported to be present so far.
Addressing the gathering, Chhagan Bhujbal said: "We did not just wake up one morning and decided to take oath as ministers. The Supreme Court's statements, the laws, the rules, everything was studied before taking the decision."
"I had demanded that an OBC leader be made the chief of the party. We waited for 15 days but nothing happened. Eventually, we had to take some decisions. The insistence of the party workers and the work for this move did not start recently, it was happening for months," Bhujbal said.
Sharad Pawar Arrives at YB Chavan Centre
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar arrived at the YB Chavan centre in Mumbai to address his supporters.
32 MLAs Present at Ajit Pawar's Event, 17 With Sharad Pawar
While 32 MLAs are present at Ajit Pawar's meeting so far, 17 are present at the YB Chavan centre where Sharad Pawar's meet.
'Ajit Pawar Was Targeted: Dhananjay Munde
NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde, while addressing the gathering being led by Ajit Pawar, said that the decision to join hands with the BJP was taken due to several reasons.
"Dada should reveal what he has gone through and why he has taken this decision. Ajit dada was insulted and targeted several times," said Munde.
'Had Requested Sharad Pawar to Join Hands with BJP When MVA Fell': Praful Patel
Addressing the gathering, NCP MP Praful Patel said that the request to join hands with the BJP since the fall of the MVA.
"When it was evident that the MVA government is going to fall and leaders of the Shiv Sena were taking trips to several states, we had requested Sharad Pawar saheb to join hands with the BJP. So, if it is being made to look that things happened overnight or all of a sudden, it needs to be clarified," Patel said.
"Before the MVA was formed, the Shiv Sena was with the BJP. Then the Shiv Sena allied with the NCP. If there was anybody who criticised and verbally abused Sharad Pawar the most, that was Shiv Sena and Bal Thackeray. If we talk about ideologies and we could join hands with the Sena, then why not with the BJP?" he said.
'Sharad Pawar is My Inspiration': Ajit Pawar Addresses Gathering
Giving examples of several coalitions, including that of the NCP and the Congress, Ajit Pawar said: "My political career was made under Sharad Pawar and there is no doubt that he is the source of inspiration."
Recalling events of 2004, Ajit Pawar said that the NCP lost the opportunity to have its chief minister when Congress got two seats lesser than the NCP in the Assembly elections.
"In 2014, the BJP had offered 16 seats each to Shiv Sena and NCP. But the BJP changes its mind later. Nitin Gadkari was keen on it but other BJP leaders weren't," he revealed.
Talking about the number of MLAs, Ajit Pawar said that he is in touch with all MLAs who were not able to make it to the event.
Ajit Pawar Trains Guns At Shiv Sena, Details Alliance Attempts with BJP
Detailing failed attempts of the NCP to ally with the BJP in the past, Ajit Pawar took jibes at the Shiv Sena and that MVA alliance formed in 2019.
"In 2017, discussions for an alliance took place at the Varsha Bungalow with the BJP. There was me, Jayant Patil, Sunil Tatkare, present there From the BJP, there was Sudhir Mungantiwar, Devendra Fadnavis, Vinod Tawde, and Chandrakant Patil. The portfolios and ministerial posts were discussed. Sunil Tatkare was called to Delhi. The BJP told him that they will not leave the Shiv Sena, its ally for 25 years and that if there has to be an alliance, it will be of the BJP, Sena, and NCP," Ajit Pawar said.
"Our senior leaders did not agree. They said we cannot ally with the Shiv Sena since it is a communal party. After 2019 election results, you know what the situation was. Senior leaders of the NCP, BJP, Fadnavis, Praful Patel and I met at a businessman's house. There were five such meetings held but Fadnavis and I were told not to say a word about it to anybody. I did not speak anywhere. While all this was on, things suddenly changed and we were told that we will ally with the Shiv Sena. I don't understand how the Shiv Sena went from being a communal party in 2017 to an ally two years later. And the BJP that was being friendly was called communal. It does not work like that," he added.
Ajit Pawar Narrates Events After2022 MVA Fall
Narrating the events after MVA government's fall, Ajit Pawar said: "Unfortunately, Shinde took a different stand while the MVA was in power. We had been telling the CM (Uddhav Thackeray) that there is some unrest in the Shiv Sena and that he should intervene as the head of the state. But whatever happened after that, we all know."
"All 53 NCP MLAs met in my chambers and signed a letter drafted by Hasan Mushrif to request the senior leaders of the party that we should be in the government, or the development work will stop, there will be hurdles, there will be no vikas, and people will question us," he added.
"We made a committee of Praful Patel, Jayant Patil, and I to talk to senior leaders of the BJP. They called us to Indore for talks saying that such discussions cannot take place over the phone. But we were told that if we go to Indore, the media will know. I said it's ok of the media knows since we are trying to form the government. But we were asked to cancel our tickets. Eknath Shinde had not taken oath yet. But the BJP senior leaders insisted that we talk in person in Indore," he said.
"I have the Xerox copy of all signatures. I can show it too. But why am I made the villain every time? Despite that, he is still my God," Ajit Pawar said
Ajit Asks Sharad Pawar 'Take Rest and Give Blessings'
Speaking about Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar said: "If your age has reached 82-83, are you ever going to stop? You just give your blessings. We want you to become shatayushi (live 100 years)."
"In a meeting before 2 May, he told me that he will resign and look after the organisations in the party. He said he will form a committee with me, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, Jayant Patil, Dhanjay Munde, Anil Patil andHasan Mushrif, etc. and asked us to decide and declare Supriya Sule as the party chief. We agreed to that. Nobody knows what happens in two days. He withdrew his resignation. If you wanted to withdraw, why did you resign in the first place?" he asked.
"Are we not capable of running a government? Am I not among the top leaders of the state? They why did we never get any blessings?" he asked.
"I told Supriya that we are family, we grew up together, she should to speak to him but I am told he is stubborn, he won't listen," Ajit Pawar said.
"One senior leader was being convinced to return and was told 'we will see how you win elections next time.' Is this the language supposed to be used by the seniors? They are your children," he said.
Ajit Pawar Moves EC to Stake Claim on Party Name and Symbol
Election Commission of India has received a petition from Ajit Pawar staking claim to Nationalist Congress Party and party symbol. The commission has also received a caveat from Jayant Patil that they have initiated disqualification process against 9 MLAs, news agency ANI reported.
'Don't Mess With Our Father': Supriya Sule
Addressing the gathering of NCP leaders of the Sharad Pawar faction, Supriya Sule said: "Disrespect us, but not our father. This fight is against the BJP government. BJP is the most corrupt party in the country."
"The original NCP is with Sharad Pawar and the original symbol is us," she said.
'Ajit Pawar Should Have Approached Me': Sharad Pawar
Addressing the gathering of MLAs, party leaders, and supporters, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said: "We are not hungry for power; we will keep working for the people."
"Ajit Pawar should have spoken to me if he had any problems. If he had something on his mind he could have approached me," he said.
"We weren't taken into confidence by the MLAs who decided to split. Ajit Pawar faction has not followed any procedure," he added.
Talking about the party symbol, he said: "The party symbol is with us, it is not going anywhere. The people and party workers who brought us to power are with us."
Sharad Pawar Vs Ajit Pawar LIVE Updates: Three days after Ajit Pawar declared war against Sharad Pawar by splitting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and taking oath as the new deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, both factions are holding meetings of their respective supporting MLAs at two separate venues in Mumbai.
Addressing the gathering, Ajit Pawar said, "If your age has reached 82-83, are you ever going to stop? You just give your blessings. We want you to become shatayushi (live 100 years)."
With neither of the sides having given a clear figure of the number of MLAs supporting them yet, the two meetings in Mumbai are expected to bring forth the exact numbers.
Amid the uncertainty, Ajit Pawar also moved the Election Commission claiming the support of 40 MLAs and staking claim to the party name and symbol.
NCP supporters of Sharad Pawar faction shout slogans outside the Y B Chavan Centre ahead of a party meeting, in Mumbai, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
Both Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar groups of NCP supporters at party office, in Nashik, Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
Both Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar groups of NCP supporters at party office, in Nashik, Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Dy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar holds a cabinet meeting at Mantralay, in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 4, 2023
NCP chief Sharad Pawar in a meeting with Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole and others, at YB Chavan Center in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
Maharashtra Chief Miniter Eknath Shinde with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and others releases a booklet, in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 4, 2023. The booklet highlights important decisions taken by the Eknath Shinde-led government in the last one year.
Newly sworn-in Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar along with NCP leaders and others at Maharashtra Assembly to attend the Cabinet meeting, in Mumbai, Tuesday, July 4, 2023.
While the whip for the Sharad Pawar faction was issued by Jitendra Awhad, the whip for the Ajit Pawar faction was issued by Anil Bhaidas Patil.
Ajit faction leader and NCP working president Praful Patel on Tuesday said that they have the support of "over 40 MLAs."
Jayant Patil, the state NCP chief according to the Sharad Pawar faction, said on Tuesday that barring the nine ministers who took oath on Sunday, the party has the support of all remaining 44.
Ajit Pawar on Tuesday held a meeting with the nine NCP leaders who took oath as ministers, ahead of the meeting of the state cabinet in which the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis attempted a show of unity.
With 53 MLAs in the Assembly, Ajit Pawar needs to have the support of at least 36 MLAs to not face action under the anti-defection law.
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Published: 05 Jul 2023,11:30 AM IST