After Ajit Pawar, the previous leader of the opposition, joined the Eknath Shinde government as deputy chief minister on July 2, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) named Jitendra Awhad as the LoP in the Maharashtra Assembly.
The development comes as a close aide to Mr Pawar claims that the new deputy CM has the support of 36 out of 53 NCP MLAs, with that number perhaps increasing to 46 in the coming days.
Awhad responded, “Wait till Sharad Pawar gets active fully, once he starts dialling numbers of his MLAs,” in response to a question regarding these assertions. The Mumra-Kalwa MLA from the adjoining Thane district attacked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming that the latter had frequently condemned Ajit Pawar’s participation in the Maha Vikas Aghadi administration but was now siding with him.
“Shinde revolted by complaining Ajit Pawar as finance minister did not give Sena MLAs enough funds (under MVA rule). Now, Shinde is shaking hands with Ajit Pawar. People know what exactly is happening here,” Mr. Awhad said.
Jayant Patil, the president of the NCP state branch, according to Mr. Awhad, designated him chief whip of the party and leader of the opposition in the Assembly.
“All the MLAs will have to abide my whip,” he asserted in an apparent reference to defection and disqualification angles that are bound to come up in connection with Sunday’s developments brought about by a vertical split in the NCP.
The NCP state unit president Jayant Patil appointed Mr. Awhad, an MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa in the nearby Thane district, as chief whip of the party and leader of the opposition in the Assembly.
“All the MLAs will have to abide my whip,” he asserted in an apparent reference to defection and disqualification angles that are bound to come up in connection with Sunday’s developments brought about by a vertical split in the NCP.
Inquiries into the investigations by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation into some NCP leaders and their participation in changing sides, Awhad said, “I don’t see any other reason behind these leaders deciding to join the State Government. There was no need to do such a thing. Those leaders could have sat aside.”
These leaders should not forget the party made them ministers in the past 25 years. Now, they are deserting their leader (83-year-old Sharad Pawar) in his twilight years,” Mr. Awhad said.
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