Ajit Says Sharad Pawar is National President of NCP, But His Faction Defies Chief’s Orders

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Ajit Pawar, when asked by News18 at his press conference that who was the national president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), replied: “Have you forgotten that Sharad Pawar is the national president of the NCP?"

However, the Ajit faction is not obeying the orders of the national president, who, on Monday, removed MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare from the party.

Patel said that the national executive had appointed Tatkare and him as the working president and general secretary, respectively, and hence only the national executive has the right to decide on their removal. Further, they also filed a disqualification petition against Opposition leader Jitendra Awhad, newly appointed by Pawar, and removed Jayant Patil as the state president of the party.

It seems the Ajit has ignored or forgotten to consider the Supreme Court’s observations in the Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena case, where the Supreme Court (SC) had said that appointment of Eknath Shinde as the leader of legislative party of Shiv Sena was illegal as only a political party can take that decision and not the legislative party. Also, the SC had observed that the Speaker of the assembly can decide on the disqualification pleas.

Clyde Crasto, NCP spokesperson (Sharad Pawar faction), said, “A political party and legislative party are separate. Appointing a leader of the legislative party and whip is the right of the political party and not the legislative party. The 10th Schedule and anti-defection law says that once an elected member goes against the party, he is liable for disqualification. Also, when the national president of the party is active, a working president can’t make any appointment. In this scenario, all appointments made by the working president stand invalid as he has been sacked by national president of the party."

Patel, however, claimed: “All rights to decide about the political party are with the Election Commission."

On Monday, Sharad Pawar issued orders to remove many leaders, who have joined the Ajit faction, from the party. Ajit Pawar, on Tuesday, inaugurated new party offices in south Mumbai’s Nariman Point, while the party’s old office is at Ballard Estate and is under the control of the Sharad Pawar faction.

This tussle between NCP versus NCP is headed on the same path as Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena (UBT). It will be a long battle, which the factions will have to fight both inside and outside the assembly.