Fight For NCP Heads To Assembly, Party Leaders Get 2 Counter Whips

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislators have received two contrasting set of instructions for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly session which starts today. While Ajit Pawar has issued a whip asking the MLAs to sit with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, NCP’s chief whip Jitendra Awhad has asked the legislators to occupy the opposition benches.

In a shock move last month, Ajit Pawar resigned as the leader of the Opposition and hours later took oath as the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister..

On Sunday, Ajit Pawar, after a meeting with NCP leaders loyal to him at his residence Devgiri Bungalow, headed to the YB Chavan Center to meet Sharad Pawar.

Jayant Patil, who was in the meeting with opposition parties ahead of the monsoon session, was also called to YB Chavhan by Supriya Sule.

All the nine MLAs who took the oath along with Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare were present in the meeting. Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, and Jitendra Awhad were also present.

This was the first meeting between Sharad Pawar and the group-led by Ajit Pawar after he rebelled against his uncle and joined the Eknath Shinde government on July 2.