Ajit Pawar Will Be Appointed As Maharashtra CM In August: Prithviraj Chavan

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday claimed NCP stalwart Ajit Pawar will be appointed as the chief minister of Maharashtra around August 10 replacing the incumbent Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena. He claimed a decision on the disqualification of CM Shinde and 15 other MLAs of Shiv Sena will be taken around August 10.

"After deciding the disqualification of Shinde and other MLAs, incumbent Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar would be anointed as the chief minister around August 10," the former chief minister told a regional news channel. Chavan also claimed that the BJP is not keen on contesting the next Lok Sabha elections under Shinde "as he wields no influence outside his home district of Thane".

"The BJP now has an alternative in Ajit Pawar,” he added. Chavan alleged that "use and throw" is the work style of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This is the fate of Shinde. The understanding of top BJP leadership indicates they want to make Ajit Pawar the chief minister and face elections,” he added.

Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs of the Nationalist Congress Party joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government on July 2. While Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister, the MLAs were sworn in as ministers. Later, the crucial finance department was allotted to the nephew of Sharad Pawar. Shinde had said Ajit Pawar's entry into the government posed no threat to him.