Will Ajit Pawar Assume Party Control of NCP Just Like Eknath Shinde Did With Shiv Sena? 

NCP leader and Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar has shaken the Maharashtra opposition’s politics by implementing a political coup within his party. He recently assumed the post of Deputy CM after joining the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance with eight MLAs and holding talks with erstwhile position-holder Devendra Fadnavis. This has caused a major disruption in the Nationalist Congress Party as Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule are looking at possibly losing their control in the party as many of their party leaders have joined Ajit Pawar, who has officially entered the Fadnavis-Shinde camp.
This is quite similar to the political coup led by current CM Eknath Shinde, who won over a majority of Shiv Sena MLAs and joined forces with the Fadnavis-led BJP to form their own government in the state. Consequently, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has also attained the official party symbol of bow and arrow, thereby replacing Uddhav Thackeray and forcing him to create a faction of his own. The spill-over effect has also taken place in Thackeray’s alliance partner NCP after Ajit Pawar joined BJP and Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and the political damage for Sharad Pawar could be as severe as what the Thackeray family faced.
Today, Ajit Pawar claims that a majority of NCP’s MLAs support his alliance with BJP and Shiv Sena, which means that Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule may have to fight for their right over NCP as well.

Image source: PTI