Maharashtra has been witnessing political turmoil since the 2019 polls. First, it was the rift between Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Then the Maha Vikas Aghadi witnessed continuous internal bickering and now the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party is on tenterhooks over its leader Ajit Pawar's statements. While the NCP is a part of the opposition alliance that includes Congress, Ajit Pawar's repeated praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fueled the speculations of him joining the BJP. 


Modi Did What Atal, Advani Couldn't: Ajit Pawar


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Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar has credited PM Modi for the BJP's victory in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha Polls. In an interview with the Marathi newspaper Sakal in Pimpri Chinchwad, Ajit Pawar said that Modi did what Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi could not do. He said that under Modi's leadership, the BJP gained an absolute majority making it the first party to do so since 1984. He said that even during the UPA regime, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh had to take the support of the parties to form the government, but PM Modi proved his charisma in the 2014 polls.


No Face To Replace Modi: Ajit Pawar


Former Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar further said that when the question of who is next after Modi is asked, no other name is visible. He said that in the current time, no leader appears to be the successor of PM Modi.


Ajit Pawar On NCP's Relation With Deputy CM Post


When asked why the Nationalist Congress Party often gets the Deputy Chief Minister's post, he said that NCP does not have a liking for the post but the same was decided by the senior party leaders. He said that in the 2004 polls, the people of Maharashtra blessed NCP with 71 seats and Congress got 69 seats. He added that Congress leaders knew that the post of Chief Minister would go to the Nationalist Congress Party, but what happened in Delhi is not known and the NCP cadre was informed that the party will have Deputy Chief Minister's post. Pawar said that after 2004, the NCP remained number 2. 


Is Ajit Pawar Ready For The Maharashtra Chief Minister's post?


When asked whether he would stake a claim for the post of Chief Minister in the 2024 polls, Pawar said that he is even ready now. He said that he would 100 per cent like to become the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. 


Speculations Over Ajit Pawar's Absence


Ajit Pawar on Friday skipped a convention of his party’s Mumbai unit, raising eyebrows in political circles. His name was also missing from the party’s list of star campaigners for the Karnataka Elections 2023. However, Pawar said he was unable to attend the convention as it clashed with some other programs and nothing more should be read into it.