‘I Want To Become CM, But…’: Ajit Pawar Reiterates Aspirations, Recalls ‘Squandered’ Opportunity

NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar expresses his ambition to become Maharashtra's Chief Minister, recalling a previously 'squandered' opportunity in 2004 when the NCP emerged as the single largest party.

Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and current Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has once again openly expressed his aspiration to become the Chief Minister of the state. Pawar, who has held the Deputy Chief Minister's post for a record five times, acknowledged the challenges he faces in realising this ambition.

During the India Today Mumbai Conclave, Pawar stated, “I want to become the Chief Minister, but I am not being able to move forward. I am not getting the chance.”

Pawar reminisced about a missed opportunity in the aftermath of the 2004 Maharashtra elections, when the NCP emerged as the single largest party with 71 seats, while its ally, the Congress, secured 69 seats. “The NCP got a chance in 2004, but the party leadership squandered it,” he noted, alluding to the decision to cede the Chief Minister's position to Congress's Vilasrao Deshmukh.

As Maharashtra prepares for upcoming elections, Pawar confirmed his commitment to contest as part of the Mahayuti alliance, emphasising that the seat-sharing formula would be determined by the outcomes of the 2019 polls. “The BJP will contest the seats it won in 2019. It holds the same for the NCP and the Shiv Sena. Thus, the seat-sharing formula is clear on 200 seats. The remaining 88 seats will be divided among the allies,” he told India Today.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the undivided NCP had contested in alliance with the Congress, while the BJP allied with the undivided Shiv Sena. The BJP won 105 out of 164 contested seats, with the Shiv Sena securing 56 of 126 seats. The undivided NCP emerged as the third-largest party with 54 seats, while Congress garnered 44.

When asked about criticisms directed towards the NCP regarding corruption allegations following the Lok Sabha polls, Pawar defended himself, stating, “None of the graft allegations against me were proven in court.” He continued, “After the Lok Sabha polls, I spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis. Apart from them, I am not bothered about what anyone says. I will stay with the Mahayuti alliance and work towards winning the Assembly polls.” 

Pawar's faction of the NCP faced a setback in the recent Lok Sabha elections, securing just one of the four seats contested as part of the Mahayuti alliance.

This is not the first time in the recent past that Ajit Pawar has articulated his Chief Ministerial aspirations.

'Not Everyone's Wish Is Fulfilled': Ajit Pawar On Chief Ministerial Ambition

On September 17, during a puja at Pune's esteemed Dagdusheth Haldwai Ganapati temple, Ajit Pawar expressed his desire to ascend to the Chief Ministership. “Everyone wants their leader to be the Chief Minister. When I say this, I also figure in it. But to become Chief Minister, one has to reach the majority number. Not everyone's wish is fulfilled,” he remarked, as per news agency IANS.

However, Ajit Pawar affirmed that the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, will contest the upcoming Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “All of us are making efforts to bring the grand coalition government back to power. After the grand coalition government comes, we all will sit together and make a decision about the Chief Minister,” he concluded.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently indicated that the BJP's Parliamentary Board would decide on the Chief Minister position after the elections, asserting, “The decision taken by the main leaders of the National Democratic Alliance will be acceptable to all of us.”