Hours after Congress leadership picked up suave technocrat-politician Prithviraj Chavan as the next chief minister of Maharashtra, ally Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday replaced Chhagan Bhujbal with party chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit as his deputy.
The announcement of Pawar as the next deputy chief minister was greeted by NCP supporters outside the party office, as they burst firecrackers to celebrate their leader ascending the chair he missed by a whisker last year.
Top NCP leaders including Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who flew in from Delhi to attend a meeting of NCP legislators, spent over an hour placating a sulking Bhujbal, who may still continue in the state cabinet.
Ajit Pawar is likely to hold the home portfolio, besides energy, party sources said. Senior NCP leader R R Patil holds the home portfolio. The announcement of Ajit Pawar's name was formally made by Patel after the NCP legislature party meet, at NCP office near Mantralaya in south Mumbai. Bhujbal proposed Ajit Pawar be named new legislature party leader. R R Patil seconded the proposal, Patel said.
Congress-NCP leaders will meet Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan on Wednesday night to stake claim to form the new government.
To a query, Patel refuted that Bhujbal was removed from the post. "Bhujbal has been serving the party for long. He is not a junior member. He himself proposed Pawar's name," he said.
It was the desire of everyone that Ajit Pawar be made new deputy chief minister, Patel added.
"Sharad Pawar told me and other leaders while leaving Delhi that we should take into consideration feelings of the NCP legislators," Patel said.
"After the meeting began, the first proposal was by Bhujbal that Ajit Pawar be named new legislature party leader. That made our job easy. Everyone clapped and welcomed the announcement," he said.
Asked if Bhujbal would be shifted to the Centre, Patel said, "Please don't forget that NCP is a national party. Like Congress has high command, we also have a high command."
Image: Newly-appointed Maharastra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, senior NCP leader R R Patil, Union aviation minister Praful Patel and former Maharastra Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal at the NCP Bhavan in Mumbai | Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com
