Wikipedia

Ajit Pawar

Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar[2] (Marathi pronunciation: [əd͡ʒit̪ pəʋaːɾ]; born 22 July 1959)[3] is an Indian politician serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra along with Eknath Shinde since 5 December 2024. He is the longest serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively.[4] He has served this position for 6 terms within various governments. He has worked as deputy chief minister within the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.[5]

Ajit Pawar
Pawar in 2021
8th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 December 2024 (2024-12-05)
Serving with Eknath Shinde
GovernorC. P. Radhakrishnan
Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis
Ministry and DepartmentsNot Alloted
Preceded by
In office
2 July 2023 – 5 December 2024
Serving with Devendra Fadnavis
GovernorRamesh Bais
C. P. Radhakrishnan
Chief MinisterEknath Shinde
Ministry and Departments
Preceded by
Succeeded by
In office
30 December 2019 – 29 June 2022[1]
GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray
Ministry and Departments
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byDevendra Fadnavis
In office
23 November 2019 – 26 November 2019
GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis
Ministry and Departments
  • Minister without Portfolio
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byHimself
In office
25 October 2012 – 26 September 2014
Governor
Chief MinisterPrithviraj Chavan
Ministry and Departments
Preceded byHimself
Succeeded byPresident's rule
In office
10 November 2010 – 25 September 2012
Governor
Chief MinisterPrithviraj Chavan
Ministry and Departments
Preceded byChhagan Bhujbal
Succeeded byHimself
23rd Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office
4 July 2022 – 2 July 2023
Governor
DeputyBalasaheb Thorat
Chief MinisterEknath Shinde
Speaker of the House
Preceded byDevendra Fadnavis
Succeeded byJitendra Awhad (acting)
Leader of the House in Maharashtra Legislative Council
In office
24 February 2020 – 29 June 2022
GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari
DeputySubhash Desai
ChairmanRamraje Naik Nimbalkar
Preceded by
Succeeded byDevendra Fadnavis
In office
11 November 2010 – 25 September 2012
GovernorK. Sankaranarayanan
ChairmanShivajirao Deshmukh
Preceded byChhagan Bhujbal
Succeeded byR. R. Patil
Deputy Leader of the House inMaharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office
30 December 2019 – 29 June 2022
GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari
Speaker
Leader of the HouseUddhav Thackeray
Preceded byGirish Mahajan
Succeeded byDevendra Fadnavis
Cabinet Minister in Government of Maharashtra
In office
7 November 2009 – 10 November 2010
Governor
Ministry and Departments
  • Water Resources
  • Krishna Valley Irrigation Corporation
  • Energy
Chief MinisterAshok Chavan
Preceded by
Succeeded by
In office
8 December 2008 – 6 November 2009
Governor
Ministry and Departments
  • Water Resources
  • Water Supply
  • Sanitation Command Area Development
Chief MinisterAshok Chavan
In office
9 November 2004 – 1 December 2008
Governor
Ministry and Departments
  • Water Resources
  • Excluding Krishna Valley Corporation
Chief MinisterVilasrao Deshmukh
Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office
1991
Preceded bySharad Pawar
ConstituencyBaramati
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
3 May 1991 – 20 June 1991
Preceded byShankarrao Bajirao Patil
Succeeded bySharad Pawar
ConstituencyBaramati, Maharashtra
Personal details
Born (1959-07-22) 22 July 1959 (age 65)
Deolali Pravara, Bombay State, India (present-day Maharashtra)
Political partyNationalist Congress Party
Other political
affiliations		National Democratic Alliance (2023–)
Spouse
​
(m. 1985)​
Children2
Residence
OccupationPolitician
Websitewww.ajitpawar.org
NicknameAjit Dada

He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and represented Baramati Lok Sabha constituency in 1991.[6][7] He served as deputy chief minister many times.[8]

Early life

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Pawar was born in Deolali Pravara, Ahmednagar district.[9] He is son of Anantrao Pawar, the brother of Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party and a four-time former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.[10][11] He did his schooling Deolali Pravara but dropped out of college to help his family after the death of his father.

Political career

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Following the footsteps of his uncle Sharad Pawar in Indian National Congress,[12] Ajit made his first foray into politics in 1982 when he was elected to the board of a cooperative sugar factory. In 1991, he was elected as the chairman of the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank and remained in the post for the next 16 years.

He was also elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1991 from the Baramati Parliamentary constituency. He later vacated the seat for his uncle, who then become the Defence Minister in Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's government.

Later, he was elected seven times to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Baramati Assembly constituency. He first won in the 1991 by election and retained it for five consecutive terms in 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014.[13][14][15] He served as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Power in CM Sudhakarrao Naik's government from 1991 to 1992.[16]

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.[16] 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.[17]

Leader of Nationalist Congress Party

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Rebellion against Sharad Pawar

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Main article: 2023 Maharashtra political crisis

On 23 November 2019, he defected from NCP and joined a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and became the Deputy Chief Minister.[18][19] 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 and he resigned 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.[20]

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.[21]

Party name and symbol

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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.[22][23] 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).[24][23]

Controversies

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There are allegations that, as the minister for water resources, he helped the development of Lavasa,[25] 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.[26]

In September 2012, there were accusations that there had been misappropriation to the tune of Rs. 70,000 crores. These allegations were made by the Maharashtra bureaucrat Vijay Pandhare, and caused the anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania to demand Pawar's resignation as a minister. However, the allegations were not proved, and Ajit was reinstated as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra.[27]

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 apologised, saying that the comment was the "biggest mistake of [his] life".[28]


Electoral performance

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Election candidature history
Election Year Party Constituency Opponent Result Margin
Loksabha 1991 INC Baramati BJP Kanta Nalawade Won 336,831
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly 1991^ INC Baramati BJP K.H.Khanderao Won 86,915
1995 INC Independent Kakade Ratanrao Bhagwanrao Won 77,335
1999 NCP Independent Taware Chandrarao Krishnarao Won 50,366
2004 NCP SS 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
2024[29][30][31] NCP NCP-SP Yugendra Pawar Won 100,899

References

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  1. ^ "Not Accepted Happily: Sharad Pawar On Devendra Fadnavis's Number 2 Post". NDTV.com.
  2. ^ "Still Deputy CM, but Ajit Pawar outplayed sulking Shinde. This is how". India Today. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/ajit-dada-pawar-the-man-who-took-the-limelight-119112300465_1.html
  4. ^ "In Ajit Pawar's Shock Switch, A Sharad Pawar Question Ahead of 2024". NDTV.
  5. ^ "Six-time deputy, never the CM: 'CM in waiting' Ajit Pawar's long tryst with politics". MoneyControl. 5 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Ajit Pawar new Opposition leader in Maharashtra assembly | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Deputy CM for fourth time: The return of Ajit Pawar". India Today. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  8. ^ "अजित पवार पाचव्यांदा उपमुख्यमंत्री; राज्यात दोन उपमुख्यमंत्री कसे? जाणून घ्या उपमुख्यमंत्रीपदाचा इतिहास". 3 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Ajit Aanantrao Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party):Constituency- Baramati (Pune) - Affidavit Information of Candidate". myneta.info. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Ajit Pawar appointed deputy CM, 8 other NCP MLAs take oath as ministers in Eknath Shinde government: Key developments". The Times of India.
  11. ^ "How Sharad Pawar outwitted his nephew Ajit". Hindustan Times. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Ajit Pawar". NDTV. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Baramati stays with Ajit Pawar". The Indian Express. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "Surprise, surprise: Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, Ajit Pawar Dy CM". India Today. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra". maharashtrasadan.maharashtra.gov.in. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  17. ^ PTI (7 March 2024). "People facing draft charges can join BJP and get clean, the party is 'washing machine' : Sharad Pawar". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  18. ^ Tirodkar, Amey (12 July 2023). "Tough times ahead for Sharad Pawar after BJP lures away Ajit Pawar in NCP split". Frontline. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ Marpakwar, Prafulla (2 December 2019). "Ajit Pawar to be deputy CM after winter session begins". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  21. ^ Vyas, Sharad (23 November 2019). "Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra Chief Minister after Ajit Pawar ditches uncle Sharad Pawar". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  22. ^ "Maharashtra NCP Ajit Pawar..." The Wire.
  23. ^ a b "A. Deputy... Maharashtra". The Hindu. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Sharad Pawar faction gets new name day after Ajit camp declared 'real' NCP". Express News service. New Delhi. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Lavasa's journey downhill". Down To Earth. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  26. ^ "Lavasa exposed". Down To Earth. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  27. ^ "Ajit Pawar reinstated". Business Standard India. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  28. ^ "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.
  29. ^ CNBCTV18 (23 November 2024). "Maharashtra Elections 2024: 14 candidates win by over 1 lakh votes, all from Mahayuti". Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Hindustantimes (23 November 2024). "Maharashtra election results: These candidates have won by biggest margins so far". Archived from the original on 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  31. ^ The Hindu, Sruthi (23 November 2024). "Maharashtra Assembly election results 2024 | Who won in Pune?". Archived from the original on 24 November 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
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