Ajit Pawar's Removal As NCP Legislature Unit Head Invalid, Says BJP Leader Ashish Shelar

The BJP on Sunday objected to the removal of Ajit Pawar as leader of the NCP legislature party, saying it was “invalid”. On Saturday, NCP removed Ajit Pawar as its legislature party leader after he joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government and took oath as the deputy chief minister of the state. "The decision to sack Ajit Pawar was taken at the meeting of the party's MLAs," party sources said.

However, raising an objection to it, BJP leader Ashish Shelar told reporters that Ajit Pawar’s replacement with Jayant Patil was done at the NCP’s legislature wing meeting where all MLAs of the Sharad Pawar-led party were not present.

“The letter of support to the governor was given by Ajit Pawar as leader of the NCP’s legislature party. Pawar’s replacement with Jayant Patil is invalid,” Shelar said.

“The petitionin the Supreme Court (filed by the Shiv Sena and others against the governor’s decision of swearing in Fadnavis) doesn’t challenge the October 30 appointment of Ajit Pawar as the legislature party leader,” the BJP MLA said.

In a masterstroke, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, leaving the Congress, NCP and the Shiv Sena surprised.

There were not many people at Raj Bhavan when he was sworn in as CM. The ceremony, which opposition Congress dubbed a clandestine affair after a night of intriguing political developments, the pomp and grandeur of the 2014 event was missing.

After results of the October 21 Assembly elections were announced on October 24, Fadnavis was all set to return as chief minister of Maharashtra, after steering the BJP to another electoral win and dealing the NCP-Congress a blow but bickering ally Shiv Sena played spoilsport.

The Congress on Saturday said that government formation in Maharashtra is ‘betrayal of people’s mandate. Addressing a press conference in the national capital party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also accused Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari of acting like hitman of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “The governor worked not as a constitutional authority, but as a hitman at the instance of Amit Shah,” Surjewala said. He also called NCP leader Ajit Pawar opportunist and said the government in the state has been formed by killing democracy. “BJP scared opportunist Ajit Pawar, formed illegal govt by acting as a contract killer for democracy,” Surjewala said.