Pawar vs Pawar: Ajit Pawar Faction Flaunts 31 MLAs, Sharad Pawar Has 13

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is facing a major split, with two factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar vying for control of the party.

The Ajit Pawar faction, which includes 31 MLAs, is holding a meeting in Mumbai's Bandra, while the Sharad Pawar faction is meeting in Mumbai's Nariman Point. Ajit Pawar has claimed that he has the support of 42 MLAs, but the Sharad Pawar faction has dismissed this claim, saying that only 13 MLAs are present at their meeting.

The NCP has 53 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly, but 11 MLAs are not present at either meeting.

Ajit Pawar has said that he is in touch with some MLAs at the Sharad Pawar camp, but the Sharad Pawar faction has denied this claim.

Sharad Pawar has lashed out at his nephew Ajit, saying that he should have spoken to him if he had any problems. Addressing a gathering of MLAs, party leaders, and supporters, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said that the party is not hungry for power and will continue to work for the people. "If he had something on his mind, he could have approached me," Pawar said.

He added that the MLAs who decided to split did not take the party into confidence and that the Ajit Pawar faction has not followed any procedure. "We will continue to fight for the people and we will not be cowed down by these threats," Pawar said.

The Ajit Pawar faction has taken affidavits from party workers to show their allegiance to Ajit Pawar.

The fight for the party name and symbol of the NCP is set to reach the Election Commission soon. The Ajit Pawar faction is expected to stake claim over the party name and symbol, while the Sharad Pawar faction has filed a caveat asking the Election Commission to listen to them too before making a decision.

The NCP split vertically after Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs rebelled against party founder Sharad Pawar and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on July 2.

Then a full-blown tussle broke out in the NCP as rival factions went on a sacking spree to tighten their grip over the organisation and sought disqualification of lawmakers in each other's camps.