Ajit Pawar to be leader of NCP in Maharashtra Assembly

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday elected party president Ajit Pawar as the leader of the party in the legislative assembly.

In a meeting chaired by party state president and Lok Sabha MP Sunit Tatkare, Pawar was appointed as the leader of the legislative party, and his colleague Anil Patil was reappointed as the chief whip.

Patil will oversee the attendance of legislators and address their requests to speak on various topics during the sessions.

The NCP and its Mahayuti allies, BJP and Shiv Sena, managed a stellar performance, clinching 233 out of 288 seats in the state assembly polls. The party bagged 41 out of 59 seats it contested and defeated its rival faction, NCP (SP), in 29 seats.

Shinde authorised to take all decisions

The newly-elected assembly members of the Shiv Sena have authorised Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to hold talks with the ruling Mahayuti allies for the formation of next government in the state.

The Shiv Sena Legislature Party meeting will be held on Sunday evening after all its newly-elected members reach Mumbai.

Sena leader Deepak Kesakar said there was no dispute on the issue of the chief minister’s post.

The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP of deputy CM Ajit Pawar, retained power in the state on Saturday by winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats.

On Saturday evening, CM Shinde held an online meeting of his party’s working committee and newly-elected members, who authorised him to hold talks with the allies, a party functionary said.

He was also authorised to appoint the legislature party group leader, chief whip and other office-bearers.

Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar told reporters on Sunday that the new government has to be sworn in by November 25 as the term of the outgoing assembly ends on November 26.

“It looks like the swearing-in may be held at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde are national presidents of their respective parties. They will elect their own group leader while the decision on chief minister will be taken in Delhi,” he said, adding there is no dispute on the issue.