Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister-designate Ajit Pawar has always been known in state political circles as the real power centre in Nationalist Congress Party founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar 11 years ago.
Firing a salvo against Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has alleged that the senior BJP leader is in a rush to take over the country's top post.
ICC President Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that the rejection of the candidature of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the vice-president's post of the world cricket governing body had no racial overtones.
Triggering a fresh set of problems for Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, the state's Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has blamed Patil of evading his call of duty during the Mumbai terror attacks by staying indoors and refusing to visit the venue on the first day of the attacks.
Ashok Chavan was sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister at the head of 26-member Congress-Nationalist Congress Party ministry in Mumbai on Saturday evening, two weeks after the assembly elections results were declared.
Maharashtra is set to get a new government on Tuesday as Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal are expected to take oath of office.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Thursday said the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance will secure the 'magic figure' to form the state government. "We will get the magic figure to form the government. There may be a difference of two-three seats, but with 21 rebels leading in the state, it's not difficult to achieve the majority," Bhujbal told reporters.
While the Congress camp has many contenders for the Maharashtra chief minister's post, its ally -- Sharad Pawar's NCP -- on Tuesday mooted a new proposal to share the CM's chair in Maharashtra. Chhagan Bhujbal, senior NCP leader and deputy chief minister in the outgoing Maharashtra government, said if the alliance was voted back to power, the two partners should get equal opportunity to share the top post.The Congress leadership, however, doesn't see any merit in the proposal
Heavy rains coupled with strong winds claimed 46 lives in Maharashtra even as hot conditions prevailed in North India on Wednesday.
According to the predictions made by National Congress Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, the newly formed Republican Left Democratic Front will threaten the prospects of Congress-NCP in the October 13-poll to the Maharashtra Assembly.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and 37 other ministers were sworn in at a simple function at Raj Bhawan in Mumbai on Monday by Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir.
Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, who was on Monday held guilty in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case, was given a fair trial, Maharashtra government said.
Outgoing Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday said it was upto his party to decide on future responsibilities to be entrusted to him.
"Like I have grown old, you have also not got younger. The hair on your bald pate will not come back and your suffocation within NCP won't stop," Thackeray said in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
Francis Gomes, accused of confining his wife and two daughters for seven years at their house in Mumbai's suburban Vasai, has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, demanding that he be allowed to meet his family. Gomes, who is suffering from schizophrenia, has written a ten-page letter to Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, requesting that he should be reunited with his wife and daughters.
Chief Minister designate Ashok Chavan on Friday met Governor S C Jamir and staked claim to form the next government, 15 days after the Congress-NCP haggled over the portfolio issue.
Stating that the Nationalist Congress Party won't join the Congress-led government in Maharashtra till the issue of portfolio sharing was resolved, deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday said his party is ready to extend outside support to the new government till then.
Nationalist Congress Party Legislature party leader in Maharashtra assembly Chhagan Bhujbal on Thursday said his party will never align with the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party for the sake of power.The comments came in the wake of senior party leader Ajit Pawar's interview to a national daily on Thursday, when he informed that the Shiv Sena-BJP had made an offer to him to join the combine with his followers, in exchange for the chief minister's post.
The deputy chief minister's post may go to Ajit Pawar, sources said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, his predecessor and state unit chief R R Patil and senior ministers Ajit Pawar and Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil figure in the first list of 80 candidates announced by the Nationalist Congress Party for the state assembly elections scheduled to be held on October 13. The Sharad Pawar-led party, which has been a part of the ruling alliance with Congress in the state for the last 10 years, is contesting 114 of the total 288 seats.
If these MLAs return to the NCP, Ajit Pawar's support will reduce further.
A state-of-the-art indoor cricket facility was inaugurated on Friday at Bandra-Kurla Complex at Mumbai Cricket Association Indoor Cricket Academy by BCCI and MCA President Sharad Pawar.
But last weekend when Bhujbal appeared in a Mumbai court to withdraw a 1997 defamation case against the Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray with Uddhav Thackeray keeping him company in front of cameras it ruffled many a feather despite both Bhujbal and NCP playing down the development seen by many as pregnant with possibilities of realignments in the state.
Fadnavis, the first Bharatiya Janata Party chief minister of the state, filed his papers from the Nagpur South-West constituency.
Pawar stated that there was no need to take any congnizance of what a criminal has said.
Munde's defiant attitude not to visit Delhi on Tuesday had given rise to the speculation that he may join hands with the Shiv Sena as he had met Bal Thackeray before leaving for Delhi. He also met another powerful leader Chhagan Bhujbal. "I am confident that we should be able to sort out the issue by the end of the day," Venkaiah Naidu told newsmen before leaving for Advani's residence.
The Special Investigating Team has been waiting to question him in connection with the fake stamps racket.
The two Nationalist Congress Party leaders were administered oath of office by Governor Mohammed Fazal at a function at Azad Maidan in south-Mumbai.
Known for its Paithani sari but drought-prone for many years, the Sena wrested the Yeola seat from Congress in 1990.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray described how Bhujbal, once like a canon in Shiv Sena, was reduced to a water-pistol in the NCP
Sulking former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday attended a party meeting in Mumbai.
Telgi has said in a letter read out by his lawyers that he is disturbed by the reports.
The chief minister has retained the urban development and co-operation, and general administration and urban land ceiling portfolios.
The role of some key politicians in Maharashtra in the fake stamp paper scam will come under sharper focus now.
However, he said he will not dump his trusted aide and former Maharashtra chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal to forge this partnership, a condition put forth by Thackeray.
'I am known as a fighter. I will not quit the battlegroundÂ…' he said.
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