India

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?





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