INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: NCP leader Ajit Pawar and 8 other party MLAs joined the Maharashtra government on Sunday and took oath as ministers
The surprise move, though not totally unexpected, has led to yet another political realignment in the state.For long, speculation was rife
that Ajit Pawar would break away from uncle Sharad Pawar's party and switch over to the BJP-led NDA in the state.Live updates: Ajit Pawar
joins Maharashtra govtIn fact, this is not the first time the junior Pawar has raised the banner of revolt in NCP.In the last three years,
Pawar has already taken oath as the deputy CM thrice - twice as part of NDA and once as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).Ajit Pawar's
long history of rebellion started almost 14 years ago in 2009 when he openly criticised Sharad Pawar's leadership style and decision-making
process.The rebellion had created a rift within the party with Ajit Pawar threatening to resign from all party positions
However, after negotiations, he reconciled with his uncle and returned to the party fold.Almost 10 years later, Ajit Pawar pulled off his
most significant revolt after he formed the government with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis in a surprise move after the 2019 assembly elections.The
junior Pawar then claimed the support of several NCP MLAs and took oath as the deputy CM in the Fadnavis-led government
However, the government lasted just 80 hours as Ajit Pawar was unable to cause a split in his party.He later returned to the party fold and
took oath as the deputy CM again, this time as part of the MVA government under Uddhav Thackeray
The rumours of Ajit Pawar switching sides continued to generate political buzz in the subsequent years, especially after the collapse of the
MVA government last year.In April this year, when the Supreme Court was to pronounce its verdict on the Eknath Shinde and other Shiv Sena
MLAs who had revolted against Uddhav, speculations were rife that Ajit Pawar may join BJP to bail out the Maharashtra government in the
event of an adverse ruling.However, the split was prevented just in time by what is being described as a "political masterstroke" by Sharad
Pawar.Just when indications of Ajit Pawar breaking away from NCP reached a crescendo, Sharad Pawar suddenly announced that he has decided to
step aside as the party chief.The unexpected announcement sent shockwaves in the NCP cadre, prompting senior leaders to request Sharad Pawar
to stay on as the president.Sharad Pawar's announcement and the ensuing emotional backlash sent a clear message that the party cadre still
believes in the leadership of the senior Pawar
The high political drama also sent a clear message to Ajit Pawar in case he was harbouring any intentions to split NCP.Cut to July and Ajit
Pawar's saga of revolt continues
On Sunday, the junior Pawar finally joined the Eknath Shinde-led government along with veteran NCP MLAs and claimed the support of almost
all legislators from his uncle's party.Will this be another short-lived revolt or has Ajit Pawar's fresh revolt finally caused a big dent to
Sharad Pawar? Only time will tell.WatchExplained: What led Ajit Pawar to ditch uncle Sharad Pawar?
