Ajit Pawar resigns as Deputy Chief Minister

Ajit Pawar, Nationalist
Congress Party leader who had pledged his party’s support to the Devendra
Fadnavis government in Maharashtra, has resigned as Deputy Chief Minister.

Ajit Pawar’s
exit could compromise the survival three-day-old Fadnavis government which had supported
claim on the strength of Pawar’s letter that 54 Nationalist Congress Party
support the Bharatiya Janata Party government.

Pawar’s exit
from the government comes after continuing efforts by the NCP to convinced  him to pull out of the Bharatiya Janata Party
government in the state.

The last
such effort was made this morning, around the same time that the Supreme Court
delivered its verdict to fast-track Fadnavis’ floor test. In this, the top
court held that it was important to quickly hold the floor test to minimise the
possibility of horse-trading.

The top
court’s verdict took the advantage away from the Devendra Fadnavis government.

People
familiar with the development said Ajit Pawar gave his resignation to Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis; a copy was also sent to Governor Bhagat Singh
Koshyari.