The Ajit Pawar faction has now declared that there is no split in the party and termed the recent Maharashtra mess an ‘internal conflict’.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai in the presence of Ajit Pawar, Sunit Tatkare, Chhagan Bhujbal and other NCP leaders, senior leader Praful Patel said: “On June 30, 2023, an important meeting was held at Devgiri (government residence of Ajit Pawar). It was attended by many leaders, including several MLAs and MLCs of NCP who appointed Ajit Pawar the leader of the party. Being leader of the NCP, Ajit Pawar appointed me as working president. Later, I sent a letter to the Maharashtra Speaker, informing him that Ajit Pawar has been appointed as leader of legislative party and Anil Patil will be the chief whip.”
Stopping short of giving the exact number and names of MLAs who are supporting Ajit Pawar, Patel said Sharad Pawar’s nephew had the support of over 40 MLAs.
“We have submitted the required affidavits to the Election Commission in Delhi and sent a petition, mentioning that the name and symbol of the party should be given to us as majority of the party members are supporting Ajit Pawar,” said Patel, adding: “Let me tell you, there is no split in our party.”
The Ajit Pawar faction is of the opinion that the working committee meeting chaired by Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Wednesday was not the official meeting of the party. Hence, the decisions taken in that meeting are not valid. Patel also questioned the right of Sharad Pawar loyalist Jayant Patil to serve a disqualification notice to Ajit Pawar and other rebel NCP leaders, including him, when the appointment of the state chief itself had been on an ad hoc basis without due elections as per the NCP’s constitution.
Patel termed the NCP’s internal structure as ‘flawed’ and raised questions over the validity of the working committee itself. He said the committee had no power since most of the office-bearers had been appointed, and not elected.
However, when asked by News18 if an election procedure was followed while appointing Ajit Pawar as party president and others as officer-bearers on June 30, Patel failed to give a satisfactory answer. “We followed the required legal procedures and have submitted the documents to ECI, let them take the final call.”
It seems the Ajit Pawar faction has done its homework, learning from the Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena case. In the press conference, Patel tried hard to explain how the developments could not be termed a ‘split’ in the party and were just signs of an internal conflict. This would mean the anti-defection law and 10th schedule of the Constitution would not apply to the breakaway faction and there is no question of these leaders merging their bloc into another political party.
However, according to Sharad Pawar faction leader Jitendra Awhad, except nine MLAs of NCP who have joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government, others are still with the party patriarch.
“If you are claiming that the meeting was held on June 30, you must inform who was there. Also, why is there no public display of those supporting you?” asked Awhad. Raising questions over the appointment of Ajit Pawar as the NCP president, he said: “How can the appointment be made without informing the national election committee? Patel’s appointment in the party was by Sharad Pawar. Then how can you make any appointment without informing him?”
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