Ajit Pawar's Faction Named Him New NCP President Two Days Before Coup

The rebel faction of the Nationalist Congress Party passed a resolution on June 30 electing Ajit Pawar as the President of the party, thereby ousting Sharad Pawar from the post, the faction said in an affidavit to the Election Commission of India. The resolution was reportedly passed just two days before Ajit Pawar's big switch. 

"A Resolution dated 30th June 2023 signed by overwhelming majority of members of NCP, both from the legislative and organisational wing was passed thereby electing Ajit Anantrao Pawar as the President of NCP," the affidavit stated adding that Praful Patel was and continues to be one of the working presidents of NCP.

"The NCP also decided to appoint Ajit Pawar as the leader of NCP Legislative Party in the Maharashtra Legislative assembly and the said decision was also ratified by the resolution passed by an overwhelming majority of NCP MLAs," the affidavit said, as per PTI.

The earlier appointment of Jayant Patil as the state president of Maharashtra NCP was "patently illegal since the same was done without following any procedure mandated by the constitution of NCP,” it said. Praful Patel, in his capacity as the working president of NCP has removed Patil from the post and appointed Sunil Tatkare as state NCP president, the statement said.

“The National President as well as all the other office bearers of the party were appointed in an alleged National Convention dated 10th/11th September 2022. The said appointment is itself a void and ab initio since there is absolutely no record of the persons who attended the national convention and voted in favour of Shri Sharad Pawar,” the statement said.

In a show of strength, both rival factions of NCP held parallel meetings in Mumbai today. Ajit Pawar also moved a petition with the Election Commission of India staking claim to the NCP and the party symbol. "I want to become Maharashtra chief minister to implement certain plans I have for people's welfare," he said after inaugurating his NCP faction’s new office in south Mumbai.

On the other hand, Sharad Pawar questioned BJP's sudden alliance with NCP when they called the party corrupt. "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. 

As many as 29 of 53 NCP MLAs were present at the party meeting convened by Ajit Pawar at Bhujbal Knowledge City in suburban Bandra, while the party veteran managed only 17 MLAs on his side.