EC grants 3 more weeks to Sharad Pawar, Ajit factions for replies to notice

The faction led by Sharad Pawar had decided not to approach the EC until the poll panel had considered the breakaway group’s arguments. The Pawar group presented a disqualification motion against nine NCP MLAs, including Ajit Pawar, who took oath as deputy chief minister in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis coalition government on July 3.

The Pawar faction removed all nine MLAs, as well as working president Praful Patel and general secretary Sunil Tatkare, three days later. The decision was made at the party’s working committee meeting in Delhi.

Separately, Pawar met with his nephew Ajit Pawar behind closed doors in Pune, fueling speculation about the duo’s future plans. The three-hour meeting was held.

“What is wrong with meeting my nephew? If a senior person in a family desires to meet another family member, there should not be any issue with that”, he said. The NCP chief further stated that he will never join forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“As the national president of the NCP, I am making it clear that my party (NCP) will not go with the BJP. Any association with the Bharatiya Janata Party does not fit in NCP’s political policy”, he added.