NCP Expels Ajit Pawar As Legislative Party Leader

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was on Saturday expelled as the legislative party leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

NCP has also cancelled Pawar’s right to issue whip and all other rights as party leader.

A motion which was passed on October 30 to elect Pawar as group leader also stands cancelled. The party has not chosen any Legislative party leader, however, Jayant Patil has been given the power to take decisions.

Pawar supported BJP to form the government in the state and took oath early this morning. A motion to expel Pawar, the nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was taken at a meeting of the NCP today.

In a surprise development, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the Maharashtra Chief Minister for a second term while Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of the state. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan.

The move came at a time when deliberations among Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena on the government formation had seemingly reached the final stage on Friday. The BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party in the last month’s assembly elections, could not stake claim to form the government as its ally Shiv Sena remained firm on rotating the Chief Minister’s post.

The BJP won 105 seats in the 288-member assembly followed by Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44. (ANI)