Mumbai: Soon after Sharad Pawar once again proved he is the old warhorse and a strong Maratha man by getting his nephew Ajit Pawar quit the deputy Chief Minister post, several party members arrived at the Trident hotel in Mumbai this evening and hailed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo for routing out Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra. In heavy numbers, supporters of Pawar gathered outside the hotel where Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP held a joint meeting to finalise the leader of the alliance.

“Maharashtra cha ekch wagh, Sharad Pawar Sharad Pawar (There is only one tiger in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar Sharad Pawar),” chanted party workers as Pawar arrived at the venue of the joint meeting of the three new coalition partners.

Within three days of the revolt, he not only managed to keep his flock together but succeeded in getting Ajit resigned, causing the fall of the 4-day old Fadnavis government. Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and throwing a challenge Pawar said that he would bring 162 MLAs at the time of floor test. "There will not be any problem in proving our majority…On the day of the floor test, I will bring more than 162 MLAs. This is not Goa, this is Maharashtra."


Almost all MLAs of the NCP have returned to Pawar fold leaving Ajit Pawar isolated. Sharad Pawar, who first became chief minister at the age of 38, four decades ago, is still at the centre of Maharashtra politics.

He has been the chief minister thrice and Union minister many times. He last demitted office in 2014 when the UPA lost the mandate. Since then the NCP was a marginal player both at the Centre and in the state.

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray was unanimously elected as chief of the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' on Tuesday evening, paving the way for his becoming the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Thackeray's name was proposed by Nationalist Congress Party state President Jayant Patil and Congress state President Balasaheb Thorat at a meeting of all the parties in the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi'.

Present on the occasion were NCP President Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party state President Abu Asim Azmi, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana President Raju Shetti, and other top leaders of the Sena, the NCP and the Congress.

As per indications, the MVA is likely to stake its claim to form the government before the Governor on Tuesday night, after which the details of the wearing-in ceremony shall be finalised.

The fast-paced developments came barely hours after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar abruptly resigned this afternoon, a day before the special session of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was to be convened on Wednesday as ordered by the Supreme Court.

(With inputs from agencies)