Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar's NCP Suffers Blow In Stronghold As Four Leaders Quit Party

MUMBAI: In a major setback to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, four top leaders have quit the party in Pimpri Chinchwad region of Maharashtra.

These leaders have turned their back on Ajit Pawar following his party's poor performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, winning only one seat.

It has been speculated that the leaders who have parted ways with Ajit Pawar are in touch with the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP and are likely to join them later this week.

Ajit Gavhane, the chief of NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, is among the leaders who have tendered their resignations to Ajit Pawar.

Pimpri Chinchwad Students' Wing chief Yash Sane and former corporators, Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar, have also followed suit.

The resignations come amid a buzz that some leaders in the Ajit Pawar camp are willing to return to the Sharad Pawar fold.

Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar affirmed that those who wanted to "weaken" his party would not be taken in, but added that he would accept leaders who would not "hurt" the image of the party.

"Those who wanted to weaken the party would not be taken in. But those leaders who would help strengthen the organization and not hurt the image of the party would be taken in," he asserted.

It is worth mentioning that the influential Pawar family, who holds a powerful clout in Maharashtra politics, split into two political entities after a rebellion was orchestrated by Ajit Pawar against his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar in 2023. 

While Sharad Pawar remained in the Opposition camp, Ajit Pawar jumped ship and joined hands with the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Ajit Pawar was rewarded with the post of Maharashtra deputy chief minister. However, this move to shift allegiance turned out to be detrimental for him as his party almost got routed in the General Elections in Maharashtra.

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