Month after coup, Ajit Pawar again takes oath as deputy CM

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s nephew and seven-time legislator Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra on Monday, marking a remarkable comeback after rebelling against his party just a month ago.

This is 60-year-old Pawar’s fourth stint as the deputy CM. His last outing as deputy CM lasted three days. In November, after an overnight political coup, he backed Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister, only to see the government fall short of a majority and collapse in 72 hours. “I think all three parties have tried to balance regional and caste dynamics, while keeping the merit of the candidate in mind. I will follow the party’s orders and do justice to any portfolio,” said Pawar.

He first became the deputy CM in November 2010 but resigned in September 2012 following corruption allegations in the state-run irrigation projects. He re-joined within three months, after the state government cleared him.

Before the Lok Sabha polls, Pawar lobbied for his son Parth, but the latter’s defeat from Maval was seen a big setback. His elevation as the deputy CM is a comeback for the embattled politician.

The state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) recently gave Pawar a clean chit in the irrigation corruption cases but it has not been ratified by the court yet. Pawar is also named as an accused in a complaint filed by

AJIT PAWAR FIRST BECAME THE DEPUTY CM OF MAHARASHTRA IN 2010 BUT RESIGNED IN 2012 FOLLOWING ALLEGATIONS OF GRAFT

the economic offences wing and enforcement directorate in the State Cooperative Bank scam.

Despite the controversies, Pawar enjoys a significant following among NCP legislators as well as a section in the bureaucracy who say he has a skill for “quickdecision making and accessibility”. He has 15 years of administrative experience. “From helping fund elections for party MLAs to resolving administrative issues in our constituencies, he will be the go-to person,” said a three-term NCP MLA.

Experts said Pawar’s comeback underlined his political heft. “With Ajit Pawar being made the deputy CM, there is little doubt over who is in charge of the NCP in the state,” said Nitin Birmal, a political analyst based in Pune.

Another analyst Surendra Jondhale said, “It remains to be seen how the equation between Pawar and Thackeray pans out. But he is an assertive and aggressive leader.”