Amid NCP Power Tussle, Posters Showing Sharad Pawar As 'Baahubali', Ajit as 'Kattapa' Put Up In Delhi

Old posters and hoardings, which featured Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel, were removed from outside the NCP office in Delhi ahead of the meeting

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing power tussle for control over the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the student wing of the party has now put up "gaddaar" (traitor) posters outside the Delhi office apparently referring to Ajit Pawar's rebellion against the party founder. The posters which were put up by the Rashtrawadi Vidyarthi Congress - the student wing of the party, depicted a scene from the film blockbuster movie 'Baahubali - The Beginning', showing its main character 'Kattappa' stabbing 'Amarendra Baahubali' in the back.

The posters, put up by NCP's student wing, did not name anyone and mentioned "gaddar" (traitor) with a hashtag apparently referring to Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel - both once very close to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. 

Interestingly, the student wing workers also removed old posters showing ‘rebel’ NCP leaders Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel alongside Sharad Pawar from outside the office premises in New Delhi before putting up the new poster.

#WATCH | Old posters and hoardings of NCP that showed Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel on them are being removed from outside the office of the party in Delhi. A new poster with 'Gaddaar' (traitor) written on it is being put up there. pic.twitter.com/CjLoQmI5u9

— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2023

Posters Backing Sharad Pawar Surface In Delhi

Notably, NCP president Sharad Pawar is in Delhi on Thursday for a national executive meeting. Ahead of the crucial meeting, several posters have come up in front of the NCP office in support of Pawar. Some read: "In the fight of truth and lie, the entire country is with Sharad Pawar." "India's history is such that it has never forgiven those who have betrayed," read another one put up outside Pawar's residence in Delhi. However, later it was removed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

With the NCP witnessing the unravelling of the party, the Pawar family feud played out on stage on Wednesday as NCP factions headed by Sharad Pawar and his nephew held rival meetings at Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in south Mumbai and in Bhujbal Knowledge City in suburban Bandra, respectively.

NCP Factional Feud Reaches EC

While sources revealed that Election Commission has received a petition from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar staking claim to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the party symbol. The sources said the Election Commission has also received a caveat from Jayant Patil, who is with the Sharad Pawar group. He also informed the panel that they have initiated a disqualification process against nine MLAs who joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state on Sunday.

Ajit Pawar Triggers Rebellion In NCP

The politics of Maharashtra is on the boil since Sunday as senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar took oath as the deputy chief minister of the state. Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government with 8 other MLAs and has claimed control over the Nationalist Congress Party.

On Wednesday, Ajit Pawar took a veiled dig at his uncle Sharad Pawar regarding his age that left the NCP Supremo's party members and loyalists fuming and resulted in a chain of reactions. Ajit Pawar urged Sharad Pawar to step down and give a chance to the new generation stating that even leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retire at the age of 75.

The junior Pawar also has blamed the 82-year-old Sharad Pawar for NCP losing out on the chance to have a chief minister of Maharashtra despite having the support of a majority of MLAs in the year 2014.

You Are 83, Retire Now: Ajit To Uncle Sharad Pawar

"You portrayed me as a villain in front of everyone. I still have deep respect for him (Sharad Pawar)...But you tell me, IAS officers retire at 60...even in politics - BJP leaders retire at 75. You can see the example of LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi...That allows the new generation to rise..."

"You (Sharad Pawar) give us your blessings...The other day, he went to YB Chavan Memorial...I have also been there...but you are 83, aren't you going to stop?... Give us your blessings and we will pray that you live a long life," said the Deputy chief minister while addressing party legislators and other workers in Bandra here.

Later in the day, NCP's working president Supriya Sule in a stern response asked the deputy CM not to disrespect her father. "Disrespect us, but not our father (Sharad Pawar). This fight is against the Bharatiya Janata Party government. BJP is the most corrupt party in the country," said Sule in Mumbai on Wednesday.

"I saw the 2019 elections, this 84-year-old man fought and won, age is just a number," Sule said further. Meanwhile, Anil Deshmukh, NCP leader and a loyalist Sharad Pawar also came for rescue and ended up calling his party chief a "Lion" and said, "82 saal ka sher abhi bhi zinda hai," (82-year-old Lion is still alive).