In another setback for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, all the seven NCP MLAs in in Nagaland have sent a letter of support to the Ajit Pawar faction of the party.
NCP Nagaland president Vanthungo Odyuo has confirmed that all the seven NCP MLAs in the north-eastern state sent a letter in favor of Deputy Chief Minister Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar on Thursday morning. Vanthungo Odyuo said that he has all the papers required for their support and he has submitted those to the ‘high command’ Thursday morning.
Earlier this month, in a surprise move, NCP’s Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP-Shiv Sena, along with eight NCP MLAs. His political manoeuvre split the party founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar and changed the political equations of Maharashtra ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
While Ajit Pawar has drawn support from NCP leaders like Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patil and claimed his faction to be the ‘real NCP’, Sharad Pawar has also asserted himself to be the party boss by expelling several leaders for ‘anti-party activities’.
Ajit Pawar’s move is akin to the way Eknath Shinde split the undivided Shiv Sena last year and joined hands with the BJP, thereby pulling the Uddhav Thackeray led Maha Vikas Aghadi government out of power and securing the Chief Minister’s post for himself.