Ajit Pawar

Obviously, some are unhappy: Ajit Pawar on Maharashtra portfolio allocation

Acknowledging the high number of ministers and the restrictions in assigning portfolios to each of them, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said on Sunday that some members are obviously not happy. A day after portfolios were allocated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Pawar said the work on pending projects would begin soon. The NCP chief led a road show in his constituency, Baramati, and attended felicitation programmes. "As the number of ministers is high, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had to give each minister a portfolio. Obviously, some are happy and some are not," Pawar said at an event. He pointed out that the state Cabinet includes only six ministers of state, while the rest 36 are cabinet ministers. Pawar, who retained the Finance ministry, said he would take charge of the office on Monday. The Deputy CM further said the work on multiple projects had to be stopped temporarily after the model code of conduct kicked in for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly ...

Maha portfolios: Fadnavis keeps home, Shinde gets urban development

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, retaining the crucial Home department with him. Fadnavis will also handle Energy, Law and Judiciary, General Administration Department and Information and Publicity departments, an official statement said here. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been allocated Urban Development, Housing and Public Works Department (public enterprises). Ajit Pawar, another deputy CM, got Finance and Planning, State Excise. The portfolios were allocated after the weeklong winter session of the state Legislature ended here earlier in the day. As many as 39 ministers had been sworn in on December 15, before the start of the session, while Fadnavis and his two deputies had taken the oath of office on December 5. The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena swept the November 20 assembly elections, winning 230 of 288 seats. Portfolios allocated to BJP ministers are -- Chandrashekhar

Portfolio allocation can happen today or tomorrow: Maharashtra CM

Maharashtra Minister Bharat Gogawale on Saturday said that the allocation of portfolios in the Mahayuti government is expected during the day. The Winter Session of the state assembly, which began on December 16, will conclude on Saturday. Talking to reporters here, Gogawale said, "The allocation of portfolios is expected today. Leaders of all three alliance partners met on Friday, and we had a breakfast meeting with the chief minister this morning." Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were sworn in on December 5, and 39 ministers were inducted ahead of the Winter Session on December 15 at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur. However, portfolio allocation in the Mahayuti government is yet to take place. The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, secured a landslide victory in the November 20 assembly polls by winning 230 out of 288 seats. The Shiv Sena leader asserted that there was no difference of opinion among Mahayu

Maha dy CM Ajit Pawar asks Centre to remove 20% export duty on onions

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday urged the BJP-led Centre to remove the 20 per cent levy on onion exports and provide relief to the grower of the bulbous vegetable. In a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Pawar highlighted the issues concerning farmers from Nashik district, where onion is grown in large quantities. The onions grown here (in Nashik) are available in other states of India and also exported in large quantities. As of today, onions from the summer yield have been exhausted and the fresh crop has reached various (Agriculture Produce) Market Committees in Maharashtra, Pawar wrote. Due to the arrival of a large stock of onions, farmers are now in distress as they are forced to sell their produce at a much lower rate since they have yet to receive any minimum support price, said Pawar. They are selling onions at an average of Rs 2,400 per quintal, he said. Unseasonal rains and changing climate have already caused a huge dent in the ...

Expecting 20% recovery or Rs 6,000 cr dues under GST amnesty: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said the government expected a recovery of 20 per cent of the outstanding tax or Rs 6,000 crore from the dues under an amnesty scheme related to state GST demands. The amnesty scheme, introduced on November 1, is expected to receive 1.14 lakh applications for the waiver of penalty and interest accumulated from 2017-18 to 2019-20, he said. "The scheme will be in force till March 31, 2025, for the recovery of the outstanding Rs 54,000 crore, including Rs 27,000 crore towards the disputed tax and the rest in penalty and accumulated interest," Pawar said in the legislative assembly. He said the state government expects to recover 20 per cent of the outstanding tax or Rs 6,000 crore. Pawar said businessmen and industries participating in the amnesty scheme would benefit Rs 6,000 crore. "The scheme offers a waiver in penalty and interest on the outstanding tax amount," he added. Pawar said the GST Department sent out 80,000 let

Bhujbal hits out at Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel for ignoring senior leaders

Overlooked for a berth in the new Mahayuti ministry, NCP heavyweight Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday openly criticised party chief and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and other leaders, including Praful Patel, for "sidelining" senior members and taking decisions without consultation. Speaking to reporters in Nashik, his home district in north Maharashtra, Bhujbal said he met his supporters to explain his omission from the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet which was expanded on December 15 in Nagpur with the induction of 39 members. The 77-year-old MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, who was a cabinet member in the previous Mahayuti government, did not find a place in the new ministry. "People are still confused. I got elected by my people and I need to tell them the reasons behind my omission from the cabinet. I explained everything to them. They told me they will stand firmly behind me and requested me not to leave the assembly. I assured them that I will not abandon them," Bhujbal said. .

NCP workers hit streets against Bhujbal's exclusion from Maha Cabinet

Supporters of NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in Pune staged protests on Tuesday over his exclusion from the Maharashtra cabinet alleging insult to OBCs. An agitation was also held outside the bungalow of Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar in Baramati. Former ministers Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil of the NCP and Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vijaykumar Gavit of the BJP were among the prominent leaders who didn't make it to the state cabinet expanded on Sunday. "Despite being the senior-most leader in NCP, Bhujbal was denied a cabinet berth which is an insult to the OBC community. If you had decided to allot cabinet posts to the senior leaders, then why did the same parameter not apply to Bhujbal?" asked one of the protesters who participated in a demonstration outside the district collectorate in Pune. NCP workers wore black clothes and slammed Ajit Pawar. A protester demanded Ajit Pawar make an announcement assigning the deputy chief minister's post to Bhujbal after 2.5 years. Another prot

Left out in Cabinet expansion will get a chance later, says Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said the ruling Mahayuti will also give a chance to other legislators, who have not found a place in the current ministry, during this government's tenure. "We will give an opportunity to others also for two-and-a-half years," NCP leader Pawar said addressing a gathering of his party workers in Nagpur before the cabinet expansion. Everybody wants to become a minister and deserves an opportunity, but the ministerial berths are limited, he pointed out. The 10-day-old BJP-led Mahayuti alliance ministry in Maharashtra was expanded here on Sunday, with 39 ministers being sworn in, taking its strength to 42. In the expansion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 19 ministerial berths, followed by 11 to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and 9 for Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Among the prominent leaders left out of the ministry include NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil and BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar. While 33 ...

Maharashtra cabinet expansion likely by Dec 14, Fadnavis to meet PM Modi

The cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government is likely to take place by December 14, a senior BJP leader said on Wednesday. Fadnavis left for Delhi on Wednesday, his office said, adding it was a courtesy visit, the first after becoming the chief minister, as he would be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Talking to PTI, a BJP leader said the Shiv Sena would not get the home department and was also unlikely to be allocated the revenue portfolio. Talks are getting delayed because three parties (Mahayuti allies BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) are involved, the politician said. "The cabinet expansion is likely by December 14. The allocation of home department to Shiv Sena is ruled out. The Shiv Sena may get urban development, but is unlikely to get revenue," said the leader, who did not wish to be named. The BJP is expected to keep 21 to 22 ministerial berths, including the CM's post, the leader said

NCP's Ajit Pawar knocks on Shah's door to reclaim state's Finance Ministry

Ajit Pawar stated that talks regarding the cabinet expansion have been scheduled for December 14

Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar may come together in future, says Shiv Sena MLA

It seems that the negotiations are going on and all the leaders may unite, said Shrisat

Cabinet expansion will take place on Dec 14: Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar

After meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NCP leader Praful Patel said that it was a courtesy call

Maharashtra CM Fadnavis in Delhi to finalise cabinet, Shinde missing

Fadnavis in Delhi to allocate portfolios; Shinde's absence raises speculation over Shiv Sena tensions

BJP's Rahul Narwekar set to become Maharashtra Assembly speaker unopposed

BJP's Rahul Narwekar is poised to be elected unopposed as the speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, with the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) deciding not to put up a contest. Narwekar, who was the speaker in the 14th assembly for two and a half years and gave the key verdicts tied to the Shiv Sena and NCP, was reelected from the Colaba assembly seat in Mumbai. Accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Narwekar filed his nomination before the legislature secretary Jitendra Bhole on Sunday. MVA leaders met Fadnavis and urged him to follow the protocol of giving the deputy speaker's post to the opposition. They also sought the post of the leader of the opposition. The speaker's election will be formally announced in the House on Monday. This will be followed by a floor test to prove the new government's strength. Governor CP Radhakrishnan will then address the joint session of both Houses of the state ...

Raj Thackeray has lost relevance, Mahayuti does not need him: Athawale

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has lost relevance and is not needed by the ruling Mahayuti, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said on Sunday. The MNS failed to win a single seat in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, which were swept by the Mahayuti, the losers including the party chief's son Amit Thackeray from Mumbai's Mahim constituency. "Raj Thackeray thought power could not come without him. His dreams have been shattered. With me in the alliance, there is no place for Raj Thackeray. He changes his strategies and the colour of his party flag. It reflects his diminishing relevance," said Athawale, whose Republican Party of India (A) has been with the BJP-led NDA for over a decade. Speaking to reporters in Nashik, the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment also expressed confidence that his party will get representation in the Devendra Fadnavis government. Slamming the Maha Vikas Aghadi for blaming EVM "misuse" for the crushing defeat in

Stop misleading people about EVMs, accept poll mandate: Shinde to Oppn

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday hit out at the opposition, accusing it of misleading people about electronic voting machines and not accepting their mandate. Talking to reporters, Shinde said the ruling Mahayuti alliance won the November 20 assembly polls because of its work, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi must accept the people's mandate and support the government in development works. The Mahayuti combine of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP swept the recently held polls, winning 230 out of 288 seats, while the opposition bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) managed just 46 seats. The opposition parties have alleged irregularities with EVMs for its poll losses and demanded the use of ballot papers. Slamming the opposition, the Shiv Sena chief said, "When you win, there is no EVM scam, but the machine becomes bad when you lose. This is not the right approach." He said the opposition must accept the people's mandate that they have been decisively

Oppn mislead people on EVMs instead of accepting defeat: Mahayuti leaders

The ruling Mahayuti alliance on Sunday accused leaders of the opposition parties of misleading people about electronic voting machines (EVMs) instead of accepting the losses it faced in the Maharashtra assembly elections. The November 20 elections saw the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP achieve a landslide victory by clinching 230 out of 288 assembly seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), managed just 46 seats. The opposition bloc has since claimed irregularities in the EVMs and demanded the use of ballot papers. Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant slammed the opposition for indulging in double standards. "It is because of the MVA's double standards that the Samajwadi Party has parted from the alliance. Yesterday, they boycotted the oath-taking ceremony, and today, they will hopefully take oath as members, which will again highlight their double standards," he said. He claimed the opposition

Fadnavis, Shinde, Ajit Pawar take oath as members of Maharashtra Assembly

A special three-day session of the newly-constituted 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly began here on Saturday, where MLAs will be administered the oath of office. Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar on Friday took oath as a legislator and was then appointed pro-tem speaker of legislative assembly by Governor C P Radhakrishnan. A nine-time MLA, Kolambkar is the senior most legislator in the House and represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai. As pro-tem speaker, he will administer the oath of office to the rest of the 287 newly-elected MLAs. The assembly speaker's election will be held on December 9, which will be followed by a trust vote of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government and the governor's address to the joint sitting of both the houses of the state legislature. Results of the November 20 assembly polls were declared on November 23, wherein the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registered

How Devendra Fadnavis convinced Eknath Shinde to join Maharashtra govt

Devendra Fadnavis, who became the Maharashtra CM for the third time, revealed how he convinced a reluctant Eknath Shinde to join the government

Role reversal: Fadnavis sworn in as Maharashtra CM, Shinde his deputy

Ajit Pawar also takes oath as deputy CM at event attended by Modi, Shah, among others