NCP Moves Disqualification Plea Against Ajit Pawar, 8 Others After Joining Shinde Govt: Jayant Patil

Jitendra Awhad on Monday reached the residence of Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais to hand over his appointment letter after being appointed as chief whip by the party.

Nationalist Congress Party has moved a disqualification petition against Ajit Pawar and eight others who broke ranks with the party and joined the Shinde-Fadnavis government, said party leader Jayant Patil on Sunday. Addressing a press conference late Sunday, Patil said the disqualification petition has been sent to Speaker Rahul Narvekar, as per a PTI report. An email has also been sent to Election Commission of India informing that the rank and file of the NCP is with party chief Sharad Pawar, Patil added.

On Sunday NCP leader Ajit Pawar turned rebel and joined the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government. Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra while his loyalists including Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and others were sworn-in as cabinet ministers. 

Jitendra Awhad Appointed Leader Of Opposition In Maharashtra Assembly 

Jitendra Awhad on Monday was appointed as Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly. Three-time MLA from Mumbra, Awhad is a close associate of NCP chief Sharad Pawar who plunged into politics through student activism, protesting against rising tuition fees in college in 1982.

The 59-year-old politician started his career with Congress, and held positions such as Chief Secretary and General Secretary of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), students wing of the Congress party, in 1991, as per an Indian Express report. 

After Sharad Pawar parted ways with Congress, Awhad took sides with Pawar and his loyalty towards senior Pawar had earned him the nomination as a Member of the Legislative Council of Maharashtra for two consecutive terms in 2002 and 2008.

In the 2009 assembly polls, the NCP leader registered his first electoral win from the Muslim-dominated Mumbra-Kalwa constituency defeating a Shiv Sena candidate by a margin of over 15,000 votes. He again won the seat in 2014 and 2019, as per the report.  

He also briefly served as the Cabinet minister for Medical Education & Horticulture in 2014. During the Maha Vikas Aghadi tenure in 2019, Awhad held the housing ministry in the state. 

In 2020, Awhad was embroiled in a controversy after he along with 15-20 other individuals allegedly assaulted a Thane-based civil engineer for posting his morphed image. Awhad was arrested after an FIR was registered against him but was granted bail the same day.