NCP expels 3 leaders, 2 MPs after Ajit Pawar revolt
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday sacked three leaders for attending the oath ceremony of his nephew Ajit Pawar as the Maharashtra deputy chief minister on Sunday. The party chief also expelled two MPs, Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, for allegedly orchestrating defections. The action is reportedly seen as a deterrent to those who supported the rebel MLAs led by Ajit.
Why does this story matter?
On Sunday, the NCP suffered a vertical split after Ajit joined the Maharashtra government as the deputy chief minister. Eight other NCP MLAs, including ardent Pawar supporters like Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, were also appointed ministers. Ajit has served as Maharashtra's deputy chief minister three times since 2019 and five times in total.
NCP's discipline committee calls for disqualification of rebel MLAs
According to NDTV, the expelled leaders included MPs Patel and Tatkare, Mumbai NCP chief Narendra Rathod, Akola district chief Vijay Deshmukh, and state minister Shivajirao Garje. They allegedly attended Ajit's oath ceremony. The NCP's discipline committee has also called for the disqualification of the MLAs who supported Ajit in his revolt to ally with the ruling Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance.
Pawar's action against rebel MLAs invalid: Patel
Terming Pawar's action against rebel NCP MLAs as "invalid," Patel said, "We have the majority of MLAs with us, and in a democracy, majority has importance. "We don't want any issue within the party and we will try that no such issue happens. However, if there's an issue, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will take the final decision," he added.
Know about NCP's disqualification petition
Earlier, Maharashtra NCP President Jayant Patil confirmed the party had filed a disqualification petition while criticizing Ajit and the other MLAs who took the oath on Sunday. "Nine MLAs can not be a party," he said. According to reports citing people close to the development, the petition for disqualification against the nine MLAs was filed after instructions from the NCP supremo himself.
Recalling Ajit's past political stunts
This is not the first time Ajit has pulled off such a political stunt. Similar to the current crisis, he rebelled and became the Maharastra deputy CM in 2019, too, in the then-BJP-led government, which got dissolved within 72 hours. In April, Ajit and seven NCP MLAs allegedly went missing, triggering widespread rumors of them joining the saffron brigade.
