Ajit Pawar

Pawar also brushed aside the criticism that the he compromised on the NCP’s secular ideology by allying with the Shiv Sena and the BJP.

Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant said at a public event on Thursday that he "vomits" after coming out of meetings with NCP leader and his Cabinet colleague Ajit Pawar.

During a programme organised for "Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana" in Jalgaon on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed crimes against women an unpardonable sin and said the safety of women should be a priority

From being a rebel who almost brought down Sharad Pawar to a leader now staring at obscurity, the tables have turned swiftly for Ajit Pawar.

When Nawab Malik was a minister in the MVA government, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had alleged that he had links with associates of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Later on, Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over dubious land deals with alleged members of the D-Company.

Maharashtra Elections 2024 Date: The polls will be among the most keenly watched given the churn in the state’s political landscape over the past few years and the muted performance by the BJP-Sena-NCP combine in the Lok Sabha polls.

Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP is part of the Mahayuti government in alliance with the BJP and Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena.

The latest development highlights the growing dissent within the NCP following its poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where it secured only one seat out of 48.

The Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in July last year after Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government. After the split, the Election Commission (EC) recognised Ajit Pawar's faction as the real NCP and gave the party name and 'clock' symbol to it

The leaders who left the party include Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief Ajit Gavahane, Pimpri student wing chief Yash Sane and former corporators Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar.

The incumbent Mahayuti won all nine seats it contested in the MLC elections, seen as a semifinal contest before the upcoming state assembly polls.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut opined that the MVA should enter the election fray by announcing its CM candidate and proposed his party chief, Uddhav Thackeray, for the same.

In its 'election budget', the ruling coalition, which got a drubbing in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, has come out with a list of measures for women, farmers and weaker sections of society

He said the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP alliance had to "pay the price" for discontent among farmers in the onion growing belt of the state, including Nashik, where the ruling coalition fared poorly in the polls.

A video recently emerged on social media showing Gajanan Marne felicitating Ahmednagar MP Nilesh Lanke at his Pune home.

The BJP’s central leadership has allied with Ajit Pawar, who is seen as an able leader, considering the long-term view, says Pawar-led NCP.

I wish to thank Sharad Pawar for leading the party for the last 24 years, along with those who have remained with it since its inception, says Ajit Pawar.

"Last night we were informed that our party will get a Minister of State with independent charge. I was earlier a Cabinet Minister in the Union Government, so this will be a demotion for me," said Parful Patel.

The meeting took place at his official residence Deogiri in south Mumbai.

A notable aspect of this election in Maharashtra is the increase in major parties from four in the last election to six now, due to the rebellion in Shiv Sena in 2022 and NCP in 2023