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Mumbai: Amidst the continuing buzz around Maharashtra Leader of Opposition and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ajit Pawar joining the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition, banners hailing the NCP leader as the ‘future CM of Maharashtra’ have begun to come up in other parts of the state.
Despite Ajit Pawar himself firmly refuting speculation of him joining the BJP-Shinde alliance, banners with catchy taglines proclaiming Ajit Pawar as ‘a future CM’ sprung up in Nagpur – the bastion of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis – and Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) among other places in the state.
The mushrooming of these banners ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Nagpur (on April 27) has sparked a fresh bout of speculation in spite of Ajit Pawar apparently urging over-enthusiastic elements among his NCP supporters not to put up such posters.
Responding to the issue of banners, NCP chief Sharad Pawar (who is Ajit’s uncle) said in Mumbai: “Ajit Pawar himself has said that putting his posters terming him as the future CM is madness.”
On April 21, during an interview organised by a prominent vernacular media group, Ajit Pawar, who has held the Deputy CM’s post four times in the past, had, in response to a question, wittily quipped: “Not just in 2024, I am ready to stake claim to the Chief Minister’s post even now.”
When questioned later on the buzz that his statement on wanting to be CM had generated, he had said: “In response to the interviewer’s question, I had merely said that why wait till 2024, if we (NCP) get the majority today, I would like to be CM even now. Now, after I have given my opinion, I am not obliged to give any reaction to what others keep saying.”
Despite both Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar hinting there was nothing much to read in such statements, the former’s supporters are nonetheless gunning for Ajit Pawar to be the CM.
NCP MLA from Amalner (Jalgaon district) Anil Patil, said to be close to Ajit Pawar, remarked that it would benefit Maharashtra immensely were the senior NCP leader to become the CM.
“It will be to the benefit of the state if Ajit dada becomes CM. Even the people of Maharashtra agree that if they get a CM like Ajit dada, then it will be good for the working of the State,” added Anil Patil.
The banner speculation has gained momentum amid rumours that the BJP is reportedly ‘unhappy’ with ‘rebel’ Shiv Sena leader and CM Eknath Shinde and that Eknath Shinde would be soon replaced.
Most prominent is voicing the above view has been Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray – UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who has claimed that the Shinde government would apparently “collapse in the next 15 days.” Raut has further claimed that “movements had begun behind the scenes in New Delhi” to replace Eknath Shinde as Maharashtra’s CM.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Raut argued that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s second visit to Maharashtra in barely a fortnight must be seen in the context of the current volatile political situation prevailing in the State.
“The current government is volatile. So, Amit Shah must be coming again in order to moving his ‘pawns’… He is less of a Union Home Minister and more of a BJP leader. The country and the state needs a good Home Minister. He is perhaps coming to see whose poster (Ajit Pawar’s or Eknath Shinde’s) has more fire in it,” further remarked Raut.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut’s ally, NCP chief Sharad Pawar refused to comment on the former’s statement of a possible change of CM in the State. “I have not heard anything about this (change of CM) … This is Raut’s statement; he is a journalist…and you journalists know a little more about all things,” remarked Pawar.
Earlier in the week, Ajit Pawar, in a bid to still rumours swirling around him, had reiterated he would “remain in the NCP till his last breath.”
Addressing a meeting of his party workers and constituents in the Pawar clan stronghold of Baramati (Pune district), Ajit Pawar said that lots of rumours had been spread about him “for no reason” in the past few days and urged his supporters not to fall prey to wild speculation.
It may be recalled that Ajit Pawar had attempted to form a government in 2019 after the Maharashtra Assembly election with the BJP. His early morning swearing-in along with Devendra Fadnavis had raised quite a few eyebrows in the state at the time.
