Sharad Pawar as nephew Ajit Pawar takes oath as Maharashtra deputy CM: ‘It’s his decision Not NCP’s’

The National
Congress Party (NCP) appears to have split after its leader Ajit Pawar was
sworn in deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Saturday morning after President’s
rule in the state was revoked.

He appeared
to have checkmated his uncle and party chief Sharad Pawar who insisted that his
nephew’s decision was his own and not the party’s.

“Ajit Pawar’s decision to support the BJP to form the Maharashtra Government is his personal decision and not that of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). We place on record that we do not support or endorse this decision of his,” Pawar tweeted.

Senior NCP
leader Praful Patel also supported him saying the 78-year-old leader did not provoked
his nephew to join hands with the BJP.

Pawar
reportedly spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray over phone twice this
morning. Pawar had said on Friday evening that Thackeray would be the chief
ministerial candidate for the three-party government of the Shiv Sena, NCP and
Congress.

But the BJP
said that deal had been closed when Sharad Pawar met Prime Minsiter Narendra
Modi earlier this week in Delhi.