Four Leaders of Ajit Pawar’s NCP Quit, Expected to Join Sharad Pawar's Camp

Four leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajit Pawar faction, in Maharashtra’s Pimpri Chinchwad, resigned on Wednesday. The resignations come after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP performed poorly in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning only one seat in Maharashtra, while, Sharad Pawar's NCP won eight seats in the state.

According to reports, the leaders including Ajit Gavhane, the head of NCP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, along with Yash Sane, chief of the Students’ Wing, and former corporators Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar are expected to join the faction led by veteran politician Sharad Pawar later this week.

The resignation of several leaders from Ajit Pawar's faction within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has sparked speculation about a potential realignment with Sharad Pawar's camp ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls. Ajit Pawar's faction had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections but secured only one seat, whereas Sharad Pawar's faction won eight seats in Maharashtra.

Sharad Pawar has hinted at welcoming leaders who want to strengthen the party without compromising its integrity, while excluding those who seek to weaken it. This move is seen as an attempt to consolidate support ahead of the state elections. Ajit Gavhane, one of the resigned leaders, confirmed his resignation and expressed his desire to seek guidance from Sharad Pawar, indicating a possible shift in allegiance from Ajit Pawar's leadership to Sharad Pawar's camp.

The split within the Pawar family occurred in 2023 when Ajit Pawar, challenging his uncle Sharad Pawar, aligned himself with the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, where he was appointed Deputy Chief Minister. Despite this alliance, Ajit Pawar’s NCP faced criticism following the Lok Sabha polls, with some attributing the BJP’s underperformance in Maharashtra to its association with Ajit Pawar’s faction.​