The departure of Ajit Pawar is not unexpected. There was no question about where his loyalty and goals rested, even after his three-day dalliance with the BJP in 2019 failed. He was eager to join the BJP-led alliance.
Source: Mint
Like it had on his fellow defectors, the Enforcement Directorate’s pressure over corruption charges must have affected him as well. All of them had charges against them, but they now stand to be cleared.
Due to the potential for 16 of its MLAs to lose their seats, the Shinde-Fadnavis administration has also secured backing from the opposition NCP party. The NCP MLAs who are defecting will also face a legal danger, but that will happen in the future. The role of Sharad Pawar has come into doubt since the bulk of NCP MLAs have sided with Ajit Pawar.
There are questions over whether the insurrection was carried out with his knowledge or even with his implicit approval because some of his most dependable loyalists joined Ajit Pawar. Pawar, though, has vehemently disputed it and pledged to oppose the new government coalition.
According to one theory, the senior leader left because he chose to make his daughter Supriya Sule the working president of the party. However, it cannot be disputed that a faction of the party, led by Ajit Pawar, would have joined the BJP in any scenario after being persuaded by politics or intimidated by ED and other agencies.
Source: Times Now
Democracy suffers from unprincipled defections, massive party switching, and the purchase and extortion of MLAs. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s accusations against the NCP’s leaders being true last week, the exact same corrupt politicians have now been accepted into the coalition his party leads. The nation needs an explanation from the prime minister.
The Maharashtra development is expected to have an influence on the opposition’s plans to put together a platform to challenge the BJP in the general elections of 2024. The Bengaluru conference of the opposition parties has now been postponed. In the case of Maharashtra, it should be emphasised that even after NCP MLAs defected to the government, there is still potential for opposition in the state and anti-incumbency feeling. Whether the Congress or Sharad Pawar’s NCP can fully utilise it is the question.
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