Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar is expected to make a “big announcement” during a press conference at 6:30 pm on Friday. The development comes just a day after Ajit Pawar reportedly “walked out of the” state cabinet meeting within 10 minutes. Around 38 decisions were taken during the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Ajit Pawar’s NCP is part of the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. Other members of the Mahayuti are the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Ajit Pawar’s “big” announcement comes at a time when seat-sharing talks are going on between Mahayuti parties ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections. The elections to the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will take place in November-December this year.
NCP’s working president Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatlare, and Chhagan Bhujbal are expected to be present at the press conference. “He will make a big announcement regarding upcoming Assembly elections,” the NCP was quoted by the Indian Express as saying on Friday.
What’s expected?
The speculation is rife that the announcement could either be related to the Maharashtra elections or that prominent leaders may join the party on Friday.
Ajit Pawar and his NCP have been under the scanner after Mahayuti’s poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. He had even expressed shock at the Baramati election result when his cousin Supriya Sule defeated his wife Sunetra Pawar by a margin of over 1.58 lakh votes.
Speaking at the India Today conclave in Mumbai in September, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “It is true that BJP’s core voters disapproved of the alliance with NCP as we have been traditional rivals. But now, we have succeeded in convincing our stand to 80 per cent.”
Fadnavis was quoted by PTI as saying that the BJP got more seats than Shinde’s Sena (7) and Ajit Pawar’s NCP (1) – in the Lok Sabha polls – which he said were breakaway parties and, in a way, new parties.
Rumours have it that the NCP may have now been sidelined by the BJP and the Shiv Sena during the seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Maharashtra elections.
Ajit Pawar had rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the BJP in July 2023. He was appointed the deputy CM of Maharashtra by the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state.