The political arena in Maharashtra is expected to be red-hot this week after NCP leader Ajit Pawar's Sunday shocker on July 2. Ajit Pawar took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Sunday, sending the 'united Opposition' into a tizzy. As Ajit Pawar dropped the bombshell on his party, the 'Bheeshma Pitamaha' of Maharashtra politics — his uncle Sharad Pawar — said the NCP was still under his command. However, the junior Pawar is confident that he has the backing of most NCP MLA's.


On the elections front, the Congress and the AAP seem far from uniting on the Opposition platform, as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal launched a fresh attack on the Congress in Chhattisgarh. This means that the Opposition meeting next week is going to be crucial and could lead to a make-or-break situation for the anti-BJP parties.


Stay with ABP Live as we try to cut the clutter around the latest news from the political arena and help you understand what is likely to happen in The Week Ahead. Here are the biggest political developments expected to play out this week.


Drama Over Ajit Pawar's Resignation To Continue


Ajit Pawar's resignation is surely going to dominate the political circles in the week ahead as the Maharashtra Opposition tries to find a strategy to counter BJP-Eknath Shinde's "masterstroke". After Ajit Pawar managed to pull away even Sharad Pawar loyalists, like Chhaggan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse-Patil, along with at least 34 other MLAs. According to sources Ajit Pawar has the support of 40 MLAs and 6 (out of 9) MLCs


Sharad Pawar tried to put on a brave face, saying that leaders may defect, but the party remains with him. However, Ajit Pawar has claimed that since 40 of the 53 NCP MLAs are with him, he now commanded the "real NCP".


ALSO READ | Ajit Pawar, Forever CM-In-Waiting, Pulls Off Sunday Shocker. What Led To His 'Rebellion' Against Sharad Pawar


Rattled by Ajit Pawar's "rebellion", the Congress, one of the MVA constituents, has also convened a meeting on Tuesday. With Sunday's move, the BJP has now stung two of the MVA constituents — the Shiv Sena and the NCP. Hence, Congress will now be worried about its leaders being pulled away by the saffron party. Tuesday's meeting convened by Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat is likely to address this issue.


Sharad Pawar has also convened a meeting of the NCP on Wednesday to decide on a course of action. NCP's Maharashtra president Jayant Patil said that the NCP doesn't support the Eknath Shinde-BJP government. He said that many of the MLAs attending Ajit Pawar's swearing-in ceremony had got back to him, saying they were "confused" and would back Sharad Pawar any day.


Maharashtra will have a happening week ahead as the Ajit Pawar-vs-Sharad Pawar drama unfolds further. Knowing Sharad Pawar, an ace up his sleeve is always expected.


ALSO READ | Chagan Bujhbal, Dilip Patil, Hasan Mushrif Take Oath As Maha Ministers With Ajit Pawar In Sudden Move — List


Opposition Unity In Doldrums Over AAP Vs Congress Battle


Just nine days before the Opposition's second meeting in Bengaluru, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has accused the Congress (and the BJP) of turning Chhattisgarh into a hub of corruption. One might assume it to be only an election strategy at the state level, just as Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had said that the regional obligations of parties are different from the national needs. But the case is not so.


The AAP seems to have taken Congress's refusal to support its crusade against the Centre's Delhi services ordinance to heart and for good reason. After all, Arvind Kejriwal was the first among non-Congress Opposition leaders to back Rahul Gandhi and slam the BJP when the latter was dismissed as a Lok Sabha MP in March this year. Kejriwal backed Rahul Gandhi despite the Congress hailing Manish Sisodia's arrest just a month ago. The Congress had even welcomed the arrest of Satyendar Jain and demanded his sacking.


ALSO READ | Both Congress, BJP Looted State Alike: Kejriwal Addresses Public Rally In Chhattisgarh Ahead Of Assembly Polls


Kejriwal was hoping to break the ice with Congress by backing Rahul Gandhi. However, Congress has looked the other way and now Kejriwal has decided to go all out against the Grand Old Party. While his criticism of the Congress on Sunday came in the election-bound Chhattisgarh, the party's Assam unit waged a similar war. It distanced itself from the Congress even in the northeastern state and said it will not share a platform with a party that has been rejected by the people for "misgovernance". The Congress cannot be an alternative to the BJP in Assam, AAP Assam leader Jayanta Kumar Kalita said on Sunday.


With the rivalry intensifying in multiple states, it would be interesting to see whether AAP, which claims to be "kattar imaandaar (extremely honest)", would share the "united Opposition" platform with a party that it has repeatedly accused of corruption.


Stay tuned to ABP Live as we track the updates on these stories and more.


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