Ajit Pawar
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Ajit Pawar | |
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![]() Pawar in 2024 | |
8th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra | |
Assumed office 2 July 2023 Serving with Devendra Fadnavis | |
Governor | Ramesh Bais
C. P. Radhakrishnan |
Chief Minister | Eknath Shinde |
Ministry and Departments | |
Guardian Minister | Pune District |
Preceded by | Devendra Fadnavis |
In office 30 December 2019 – 29 June 2022[1] | |
Governor | Bhagat Singh Koshyari |
Chief Minister | Uddhav Thackeray |
Ministry and Departments |
|
Preceded by | Himself |
Succeeded by | Devendra Fadnavis |
In office 23 November 2019 – 26 November 2019 | |
Governor | Bhagat Singh Koshyari |
Chief Minister | Devendra Fadnavis |
Ministry and Departments |
|
Preceded by | President's rule |
Succeeded by | Himself |
In office 25 October 2012 – 26 September 2014 | |
Governor |
|
Chief Minister | Prithviraj Chavan |
Ministry and Departments | |
Preceded by | Himself |
Succeeded by | President's rule |
In office 10 November 2010 – 25 September 2012 | |
Governor | |
Chief Minister | Prithviraj Chavan |
Ministry and Departments | |
Preceded by | Chhagan Bhujbal |
Succeeded by | Himself |
29th Leader of the Opposition Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
In office 4 July 2022 – 2 July 2023 | |
Governor | |
Deputy | Balasaheb Thorat |
Chief Minister | Eknath Shinde |
Speaker of the House |
|
Preceded by | Devendra Fadnavis |
Succeeded by | Jitendra Awhad (acting) |
Leader of the House of the Maharashtra Legislative Council | |
In office 24 February 2020 – 29 June 2022 | |
Governor | Bhagat Singh Koshyari |
Chairman | Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar |
Deputy Leader | Subhash Desai |
Preceded by |
|
Succeeded by | Devendra Fadnavis |
In office 11 November 2010 – 25 September 2012 | |
Governor | K. Sankaranarayanan |
Chairman | Shivajirao Deshmukh |
Preceded by | Chhagan Bhujbal |
Succeeded by | R. R. Patil |
Deputy Leader of the House Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
In office 30 December 2019 – 29 June 2022 | |
Governor | Bhagat Singh Koshyari |
Speaker of the House |
|
Leader of the House | Uddhav Thackeray |
Preceded by | Girish Mahajan |
Succeeded by | Devendra Fadnavis |
Cabinet Minister Government of Maharashtra | |
In office 7 November 2009 – 10 November 2010 | |
Governor | |
Ministry and Departments |
|
Chief Minister | Ashok Chavan |
Preceded by | |
Succeeded by | |
In office 08 December 2008 – 06 November 2009 | |
Governor | |
Ministry and Departments |
|
Chief Minister | Ashok Chavan |
In office 9 November 2004 – 1 December 2008 | |
Governor | |
Ministry and Departments |
|
Chief Minister | Vilasrao Deshmukh |
Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
Assumed office 1991 | |
Preceded by | Sharad Pawar |
Constituency | Baramati |
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
In office 3 May 1991 – 20 June 1991 | |
Preceded by | Shankarrao Bajirao Patil |
Succeeded by | Sharad Pawar |
Constituency | Baramati |
Personal details | |
Born | Deolali Pravara, Bombay State (now in Maharashtra), India | 22 July 1959
Political party | ![]() |
Other political affiliations | National Democratic Alliance (2023–present) |
Spouse | Sunetra Pawar |
Children | 2 |
Residence(s) | Sahyog, Maharashtra, India |
Website | www |
Nickname | Ajit Dada |
Ajit Anantrao Pawar (Marathi pronunciation: [əd͡ʒit̪ pəʋaːɾ]; born 22 July 1959) is an Indian politician who is currently serving, alongside Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2 July 2023.[2] He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023, and was a Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha in 1991, representing Baramati constituency.[3][4] He has also been a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly since 1991, representing Baramati constituency.[5][6]
He is the nephew of Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party and a four-time former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.[7][8] He has been Deputy Chief Minister of the state the most number of times and is currently serving his 5th term.[9] He has also been a Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra government thrice: from 2004 to 2008, 2008–2009, and 2009–2010.
In 2019, he joined a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and became the Deputy Chief Minister; he claimed to have the support of a majority of the NCP's MLA's, but resigned from his post, alongside then-CM Devendra Fadnavis.[10] In 2023, he led another split in the NCP and became the Deputy Chief Minister in the cabinet of CM Eknath Shinde. Having the support of the majority of the erstwhile NCP's MLAs, he also claimed the position of president of the NCP, as well as the party's name and its electoral symbol.[11][12] On 7 February 2024, The Election Commission Of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit.The faction led by Sharad Pawar will be henceforth known as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).[13]
Early life
[edit]Ajit Pawar was born on 22 July 1959, in Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar district.[14] He subsequently completed his schooling in the same city. He is the nephew of Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party and a four-time former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, being the son of Sharad's elder brother, Anantrao Pawar. Anantrao initially worked for film maker V. Shantaram's Rajkamal Studios in Mumbai.
Pawar dropped out of college to help his family after the death of his father. He is educated up to the senior secondary level and holds the Secondary School Certificate from the Maharashtra State Board.[clarification needed]
Political career
[edit]When Ajit was in primary school, his uncle Sharad was a rising political figure in the then-ruling Indian National Congress.[15] Ajit made his first foray into politics in 1982, when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. He was elected the chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank in 1991, remaining in the post for the next 16 years. During this period, he was also elected to the Lok Sabha, representing the Baramati Parliamentary constituency. He later vacated his Lok Sabha seat for his uncle, who had become the Defence Minister in Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's government. Later, he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Baramati Assembly constituency. Pawar was re-elected from the same constituency in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014.[16] He served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Power in CM Sudhakarrao Naik's government from 1991 to 1992.[17]
He became the Minister of State for Soil Conservation, Power and Planning in 1992 when Sharad Pawar became the Chief Minister. In 1999, as part of the INC-NCP coalition government, he became a Cabinet Minister responsible for the Irrigation Department. He was additionally given the Rural Development Department in 2003 as part of Sushilkumar Shinde's cabinet.[17] After the INC-NCP coalition won in the 2004 Assembly elections, he retained the Water Resources Ministry in Deshmukh's and later Ashok Chavan's cabinets.[citation needed]
On 23 November 2019, Pawar defected from the NCP and was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He submitted a paper with the signatures of NCP's MLAs to the Governor to prove the government's majority; however, the government collapsed less than 80 hours later, resigning along with then-CM Devendra Fadnavis. He subsequently returned to the NCP, and on 1 December 2019, it was announced that he would take over as Deputy CM for the Maha Vikas Aghadi government after the start of the winter session of the state legislature on 16 December.[18]
In 2022, due to a split in the Shiv Sena, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. After the rebel Shiv Sena faction and BJP formed a government with Eknath Shinde as CM, Pawar became the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.[citation needed]
Electoral performance
[edit]Election | Year | Party | Constituency | Opponent | Result | Margin | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loksabha | 1991 | NCP | Baramati | BJP | Kanta Nalawade | Won | 336,831 | ||
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | 1995 | NCP | Baramati | Independent | Kakade Ratanrao Bhagwanrao | Won | 77,335 | ||
1999 | NCP | Independent | Taware Chandrarao Krishnarao | Won | 50,366 | ||||
2004 | NCP | SHS | Popatrao Mansingrao Tupe | Won | 66,157 | ||||
2009 | NCP | Independent | Taware Ranjankumar Shankarrao | Won | 102,797 | ||||
2014 | NCP | BJP | Prabhakar Dadaram Gawade | Won | 89,792 | ||||
2019 | NCP | BJP | Gopichand Padalkar | Won | 165,265 |
Rebellion against Sharad Pawar
[edit]On 2 July 2023, Ajit Pawar split the NCP and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena coalition, being sworn in as Deputy CM for the fourth time. His actions were believed to have been caused by his dissatisfaction at the lack of a post [which?] within the NCP, unlike his cousin Supriya Sule.[19][20][verification needed] He claimed to have the support of the majority of NCP's MLAs, and later the presidency of the NCP. He also said that his faction now represented the "real" NCP, and laid claim to the NCP's name and electoral symbol.[12]
In his faction's first assembly after the split, Ajit criticized his uncle, calling him biased towards the latter's daughter, Supriya Sule. He also said that his uncle had insulted him, accused his uncle of hypocrisy, and urged him to retire from politics.[citation needed]
Controversies
[edit]![]() | This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. (June 2022) |
There are allegations that, as the minister for water resources, he spared no efforts to help in the development of Lavasa,[21] a project touted as a "vision of Sharad Pawar". The Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) leased 141.15 ha (348.8 acres) to Lavasa in August 2002, which included part of the Warasgaon dam reservoir. The lease between MKVDC and Lavasa was executed at rates far below the market rate.[22]
He told the Indian Election Commission in 2004 that he had financial assets of more than 3 crore Rupees at that time.[citation needed]
In September 2012, there were accusations that there had been misappropriation ₹70,000 crores. These allegations were made by the Maharashtrian bureaucrat Vijay Pandhare, and caused the anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania to demand Pawar's resignation as a minister. However, the allegations were not proven, and Ajit was reinstated as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra.[23]
On 7 April 2013, Pawar's statement at a speech in Indapur sparked controversy due to its alleged callousness. In response to a 55-day fast by activists protesting the Maharashtra governments inability to provide water during a drought, he asked whether he should "urinate into [the dam]" to make up for the lack of water in it. After a public outcry against his statement, he publicly apologized, saying that the comment was the "biggest mistake of [his] life".[24]
References
[edit]- ^ "Not Accepted Happily: Sharad Pawar On Devendra Fadnavis's Number 2 Post". NDTV.com.
- ^ "In Ajit Pawar's Shock Switch, A Sharad Pawar Question Ahead of 2024". NDTV.
- ^ "Ajit Pawar new Opposition leader in Maharashtra assembly | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Deputy CM for fourth time: The return of Ajit Pawar". India Today. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Baramati Vidhan Sabha Chunav Results Live Updates: बारामती में 1,65,265 वोटों से जीते एनसीपी के अजित पवार, भाजपा प्रत्याशी को हराया". India TV Hindi (in Hindi). 24 October 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Surprise, surprise: Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, Ajit Pawar Dy CM". India Today. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Ajit Pawar appointed deputy CM, 8 other NCP MLAs take oath as ministers in Eknath Shinde government: Key developments". The Times of India.
- ^ "How Sharad Pawar outwitted his nephew Ajit". Hindustan Times. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "अजित पवार पाचव्यांदा उपमुख्यमंत्री; राज्यात दोन उपमुख्यमंत्री कसे? जाणून घ्या उपमुख्यमंत्रीपदाचा इतिहास". 3 July 2023.
- ^ "Ajit Pawar: पहाटेच्या शपथविधीपूर्वी काय घडलं होतं? अजित पवारांनी घटनाक्रम ..." [Ajit Pawar: What happened during oath ceremony at the dawn? timeline...]. Times Now Marathi. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Maharashtra NCP Ajit Pawar..." The Wire.
- ^ a b "A. Deputy... Maharashtra". The Hindu. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Sharad Pawar faction gets new name day after Ajit camp declared 'real' NCP". Express News service. New Delhi. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Ajit Aanantrao Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party):Constituency- Baramati (Pune) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Ajit Pawar". NDTV. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Baramati stays with Ajit Pawar". The Indian Express. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra". maharashtrasadan.maharashtra.gov.in. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Marpakwar, Prafulla (2 December 2019). "Ajit Pawar to be deputy CM after winter session begins". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "In Ajit Pawar's Shock Switch, A Sharad Pawar Question Ahead of 2024".
- ^ "Ajit Pawar appointed deputy CM, 8 other NCP MLAs take oath as ministers in Eknath Shinde government: Key developments". The Times of India. 2 July 2023.
- ^ "Lavasa's journey downhill". Down To Earth. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Lavasa exposed". Down To Earth. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Ajit Pawar reinstated". Business Standard India. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Ajit Pawar apologizes again, says 'this is biggest mistake of my life'". The Times of India. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
External links
[edit]Media related to Ajit Pawar at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- 1959 births
- Living people
- People from Ahmednagar district
- People from Baramati
- Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra
- Nationalist Congress Party politicians from Maharashtra
- Deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra
- India MPs 1991–1996
- Maharashtra MLAs 1990–1995
- Maharashtra MLAs 1999–2004
- Maharashtra MLAs 1995–1999
- Maharashtra MLAs 2004–2009
- Maharashtra MLAs 2009–2014
- Maharashtra MLAs 2014–2019
- Maharashtra MLAs 2019–2024
- State cabinet ministers of Maharashtra
- Leaders of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly