Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. (File image: X)
Had the NCP taken the Maharashtra chief minister’s post in 2004, it would have maintained that position throughout its coalition with the Congress, Ajit Pawar added
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a recent statement strongly contested Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar’s claim regarding the 2004 assembly elections. Despite the NCP securing 71 seats and the Congress 69, the chief ministerial post was given to the latter. Ajit Pawar stated the “underlying reasons” behind this decision, shedding light on the then internal party dynamics.
Reflecting on Sharad Pawar’s comments, Ajit Pawar said, “A few days ago, Sharad Pawar remarked that had the NCP taken the chief minister’s position in 2004, the party would have split. This statement is entirely false. During discussions with Sharad Pawar at the time, senior leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal, Praful Patel, and Sunil Tatkare were present. We all believed that the chief minister should be from our party. Personally, I was not interested in the position then; I thought Chhagan Bhujbal should be the chief minister because he played a crucial role in expanding our party across Maharashtra. None of us could deny his contribution.”
Ajit Pawar then spoke on why Chhagan Bhujbal was not picked. “Many of us felt Bhujbal deserved to be the chief minister. However, I have a different understanding of why Sharad Pawar did not make him the chief minister. According to my reliable information, after making Sudhakarrao Naik the chief minister, Naik stopped listening to Sharad Pawar within a year. Naik even made bold statements, implying that he could handle any challenges independently. This led to the removal of 17 leaders, including Bhujbal, from the cabinet. Vijay Singh Mohite-Patil informed us at the time that we were being excluded from the cabinet, sparking a series of disruptions,” he said.
Had the NCP taken the chief minister’s post in 2004, it would have maintained that position throughout its coalition with the Congress, the deputy CM added. “Any leader from our party could have become the chief minister, potentially Bhujbal, followed by leaders like RR Patil,” he said.
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