Ajit Pawar Joins Eknath Shinde-Led Maharashtra Government

The long legal battle over the Shiv Sena split barely over, Maharashtra appears headed for another one -- this time in Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party. The NCP's Ajit Pawar, who took oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister with eight MLAs today, will have some way to go to evade action in the assembly and the courts. The new Deputy Chief Minister -- who appeared at a press conference with Praful Patel, one of the new working presidents of the party -- has claimed he has the support of practically the entire party. He also staked claim to the party's name and symbol, much like Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after the split in Shiv Sena.