NEW DELHI: The crisis within the NCP, triggered by Ajit Pawar's surprise coup last week, deepened on Tuesday with both the factions galvanising their cadres in an escalating fight for control.On Wednesday, the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions will hold meetings at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in south Mumbai and Bhujbal Knowledge City in suburban Bandra, respectively in an apparent show of strength following the vertical split.
Live updates: NCP vs NCPHere are the top developments of the day ...Sharad Pawar objects to use of his photographIn an apparent warning to Ajit Pawar, NCP president Sharad Pawar has said that those who "betrayed" his ideology should not use his photograph.He added that only the party of which he is the president is allowed to use his pictures.In his lifetime, it was his prerogative to decide who should use his photograph, he said.Pawar's statement comes two days after his nephew Ajit and eight other MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.The Ajit Pawar-led faction also appointed Sunil Tatkare as the Maharashtra NCP chief while "sacking" incumbent Jayant Patil.
However, the group maintained that Sharad Pawar remains the national party president.
Rival meetings on WednesdayThe two rival NCP factions will hold their separate conclaves on Wednesday, which is expected to bring some clarity on the number of MLAs in each camp and decide their way forward.
The NCP has 53 MLAs in the 288-member House and the Ajit Pawar camp has claimed the support of 40 of them.Ajit Pawar needs the support of at least 36 MLAs to skirt the anti-defection law.
NCP president Sharad Pawar has called a meeting at 1pm, while the Ajit Pawar faction, which has aligned with the Eknath Shinde-BJP government, will gather at 11am.Ajit Pawar praises PM ModiThree days after switching over to the ruling camp, Ajit Pawar was effusive in his praise of PM Modi as he inaugurated his faction's new office in south Mumbai.The country is marching ahead under his (Modi's) leadership.
We have joined the government to support him, Ajit Pawar said, after inaugurating his NCP faction's new office in south Mumbai.There is no leader like Modi.
There is no alternative to him, he said.'Will have to decide whether NCP is part of govt or opposition'Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday said he will have to first decide whether the Nationalist Congress Party is in power or in Opposition in the House and "who represents it".
State NCP president Jayant Patil has submitted a petition to Narwekar seeking to disqualify Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs after they joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government two days ago.
I can not divide the NCP into two factions as there is no official split.
I will have to ascertain whether the NCP is in power or not (in the Assembly)," Narwekar told a Marathi news channel.
On Patil's letter nominating a new whip and Leader of Opposition in the assembly, the speaker said, I will first have to decide who represents the NCP as a political party.
Then I will decide whether they have the support of enough MLAs to make such changes.
Portfolio allocation soon: AjitThe junior Pawar also indicated that the allocation of portfolios in the state ministry may not be announced immediately.He attributed the delay to CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis leaving for Nagpur to welcome President Murmu who is reaching there later in the evening.We all have decided to work together.
There is no question of disgruntlement, he said, when asked if some members in the Shinde group are unhappy over his inclusion in the ministry.Congress leaders express solidarity with Sharad PawarMeanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra has decided to launch a statewide tour to galvanise cadres to fight against the Shiv Sena-BJP government.
On Tuesday, Congress leaders met NCP chief Sharad Pawar and expressed solidarity with him amid the crisis in his party.After attending the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, state Congress president Nana Patole and working president Naseem Khan went to YB Chavan Centre to meet Sharad Pawar."Congress condemns the manner in which the BJP engineered a split in the NCP legislature party.
The MVA will stay united and defeat the BJP," Patole told reporters after meeting the NCP chief.Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat said the MVA will emerge stronger in view of the current crisis as people are with us."The Congress stands united.
Sharad Pawar is a senior leader and all of us look to him for guidance," he said.03:58Explained: First Shiv Sena, now NCP, here is how BJP turned the tables on MVA in MaharashtraSharad Pawar seeks legal opinion According to reports, Sharad Pawar is now seeking legal opinion to tackle the crisis in the party caused by his nephew joining the Shiv Sena-BJP government.The senior Pawar is holding discussions with legal experts on how to handle the ongoing developments, said NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto."Taking a legal opinion is necessary as this issue concerns Schedule 10 of the constitution," he said.According to Crasto, the Ajit Pawar-led group doesn't enjoy the support of more than 13 MLAs and can attract the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law."A clear picture of the support of Sharad Pawar will emerge tomorrow (Wednesday) at the meeting convened by Sharad Pawar at 1 pm," Crasto said.Shiv Sena workers anxious over political spaceMeanwhile, the entry of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP camp in the Maharashtra cabinet headed by Eknath Shinde has left some members of Shiv Sena anxious.Many of them are wondering whether their political space will shrink since they might have to share it with NCP which has wide base in the state.Notably, the group of MLAs loyal to Shinde had cited the inadequate allocation of funds by Ajit Pawar, who was finance minister in the erstwhile MVA government, to their constituencies as one of the reasons for rebelling against Uddhav Thackeray.However, Shiv Sena spokesperson and MLA Sanjay Shirsat on Tuesday claimed Ajit Pawar-led NCP joining the Sena-BJP government is as per a larger strategy ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly polls scheduled next year.Party (Shiv Sena) workers and supporters have started asking us how and why did Ajit Pawar and NCP join the government? They said will it shrink their political space in the state.
But I can assure you that Ajit Pawar joining the government was inevitable, Shirsat told a regional news channel.Uddhav faction takes dig at Shinde bloc MLAs Amid the crisis in NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) today took a dig at chief minister Eknath Shinde-led bloc with a video of statements of its leaders to show how they had blamed the NCP for trying to destroy the Shiv Sena.The video, titled "What say now" and posted on a social media handle of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction on Monday, has pieced together clips of statements of some MLAs of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena who rebelled against their party leadership in June last year and joined hands with the BJP.The video in the end shows a clip of Ajit Pawar's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday.In the video posted by the Thackeray faction, Shinde is seen saying he freed the 'bow and arrow' (Shiv Sena's symbol) which was "mortgaged" to the NCP and Congress.(With inputs from agencies)