Pawar returns home, meets with supporters, senior leaders

Mumbai, Nov 25: NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who was on Saturday was sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, returned to his private residence near Churchgate here in the early hours of Sunday and later met his supporters and some party leaders.

The 60-year-old legislator, who created a flutter in state politics by rebelling against the NCP and joining hands with the BJP, spent Saturday at his brother's home in Mumbai even as his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar attended a meeting where most of the party MLAs were present.

After returning home, Ajit Pawar met some of his supporters here, sources said.

NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil also met Ajit Pawar at the latter's residence, they said.

Ajit Pawar won the last month's Assembly polls from Baramati seat with the highest margin of 1.65 lakh votes.

Meanwhile, a meeting of BJP legislators is slated in Mumbai on Sunday, a day after Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the chief minister again.

The NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena are trying to ensure their MLAs are not poached.

In the 288-member state Assembly, the BJP government will have to prove that it has the backing of 145 legislators.

There has been no official confirmation on reports that the governor has asked Fadnavis to prove his majority in the Assembly by November 30.

In a stunning turn of events, Fadnavis on Saturday returned as chief minister propped up by Ajit Pawar, who was made his deputy, just hours after the new alliance of Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress reached a consensus that Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be their chief ministerial candidate.

Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at a hush-hush ceremony here, leading to the lifting of the President's rule in the state.

Ajit Pawar's volte-face created fissures in the NCP, whose chief Sharad Pawar distanced himself from his nephew's dramatic action, saying the decision to back Fadnavis was his personal choice and not that of the party.

On Saturday evening, the NCP removed Ajit Pawar as the party's legislature unit head, saying his move was not in line with the party's policies.

The BJP and the Sena, which fought the last month's Assembly polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively.

The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post.

The Congress and the NCP, both pre-poll allies, won 44 and 54 seats respectively.