Ajit Pawar has made a claim on the NCP, putting Sharad Pawar in an odd situation
All seven MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Nagaland have expressed support to Ajit Pawar in a huge setback for his uncle Sharad Pawar.
The seven NCP MLAs of the northeast state in a statement on Thursday said all party workers in the Nagaland NCP office will also support Ajit Pawar.
Earlier this month, Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP MLAs joined the Maharashtra Shiv Sena and BJP alliance government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. That move split the NCP, the party founded by Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar's tactical manoeuvre has parallels to how Mr Shinde broke away from the Shiv Sena when Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister. Mr Shinde eventually gained control of the Shiv Sena.
In 2019, the Shiv Sena had ended the alliance with the BJP and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra with the Congress and NCP.
The government collapsed last year after Mr Shinde split the party and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government.
Asserting his leadership of the "real NCP," Ajit Pawar has drawn the support of senior party leaders like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patil.
However, Sharad Pawar has also asserted his claim as the leader of the "real NCP," expelling several senior leaders for "anti-party activities."