Page 6 - Ajit Pawar

Maha CM Shinde launches campaign to raise awareness on 10 govt schemes

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has launched a campaign to create awareness on 10 schemes of his Mahayuti government catering to the youth, women, farmers and elderly people. Under the 'Ladki Bahin Kutumb Bhet Abhiyaan' launched on Monday, Shinde's party Shiv Sena aims to reach out to more than one crore families in the state. The move comes amid cracks in the ruling alliance over the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for omitting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's name from advertisements and promotional material of the government's flagship scheme. The state assembly polls are likely to be held in November. The CM, who launched the campaign on Monday, said his party workers will try to increase the awareness of 10 government schemes like the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides Rs 1,500 every month to eligible women in the state, the ...

Ajit Pawar's 'remorse' won't help him win poll from Baramati: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said there is no point in Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar "repenting" some of his political actions and claimed the NCP leader would lose the upcoming assembly poll from his home turf Baramati. Raut's remarks came after Ajit Pawar recently admitted publicly that he had made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra against his cousin and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and said politics should not enter the home. Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year along with some other NCP leaders, leading to a split in the party founded by Sharad Pawar. On Sunday, Ajit Pawar said he was satisfied with the development work he had carried out as a legislator, adding that people of Baramati for once must get an MLA other than him so they could make comparisons. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief has been MLA from Baramati since 1991. In the 20

Society doesn't like rift in families; realised my mistake: Ajit Pawar

Noting that society doesn't like rifts in families, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he experienced it and has already admitted his mistake, an apparent reference to the contest between his wife Sunetra and cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls. This is the second time in less than a month that NCP leader Pawar publicly admitted he had made a mistake by fielding his wife against NCP (SP) leader Sule, the daughter of his uncle Sharad Pawar, and noted politics should not enter the home. The "admission" of mistake came against the backdrop of poor performance by the NCP, one of the constituents of the Mahayuti alliance in the state, in its maiden general elections after a split in the party. Addressing the Jansamman rally organised by the NCP in Gadchiroli city on Friday, Ajit Pawar tried to discourage party leader and state minister Dharmarao Baba Aatram's daughter Bhagyashri from crossing over to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Speculation is going ..

Funds transferred to 17 mn beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin scheme: CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said the ambit of the Majhi Ladki Bahin Scheme will be expanded to cover 2.5 crore women even as the state government has transferred money into the bank accounts of 1.7 crore beneficiaries so far. The chief minister launched the second phase of the scheme at Reshimbagh ground here in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Women and Child Welfare Minister Aditi Tatkare. "We were not born with a golden spoon. We belong to the family of farmers. Having experienced poverty, we understood why a scheme like this was necessary. We know the value of Rs 1,500," Shinde said. The Ladki Bahin Scheme provides monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to married, divorced, and destitute women in the 21-60 age group with a Rs 2.5 lakh annual family income ceiling. The chief minister said the state government deposited money in the bank accounts of 1.7 crore women in the first phase of th

Time for BJP to throw NCP out of Mahayuti: NCP (SP) over 'nausea' jibe

The NCP (SP) on Friday latched onto Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant's remark that he feels like vomiting after sitting next to NCP ministers, saying it's time for the BJP to throw Ajit Pawar's party out of Mahayuti. It's also the time for Ajit Pawar to "wake up and smell the coffee", said the rival party led by his uncle Sharad Pawar. The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP are the partners in the ruling coalition Mahayuti. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Sawant's remark shows that Mahayuti does not need the NCP any longer. The RSS' mouthpiece had questioned the BJP why they aligned with Ajit Pawar. The BJP cadre is also posing the same question, he said. Now, Shinde Sena leaders are saying derogatory things like feeling nauseating when they sit next to NCP leaders, Crasto said. The time has come when the BJP will, slowly but steadily, throw Ajit Pawar out of Mahayuti. All is not well and cracks are getting bigger by the day. "It is time for Ajit Pawar to wake up an

Ajit Pawar visits Malvan fort, vows to erect Shivaji statue at same spot

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday visited the Rajkot fort here where a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed earlier this week and vowed to erect a grand structure of the warrior king at the same place. In a post on X, Pawar called Shivaji the pride and self-respect of Maharashtra. Very soon, a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed at the same place. This is my word, Pawar said. On Wednesday, Pawar apologised to the people of the state for the collapse of the structure, which was installed in the coastal Sindhudurg district's Malvan tehsil, around 480km from Mumbai. On Thursday, his party NCP also staged a protest against the collapse of the statue. Amid relentless attacks by the opposition over the episode, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday asserted he would not hesitate to touch the feet of the warrior king 100 times and apologise for the incident if required. The government has set up a technical committee to

Statue collapse: NCP holds protest, says everyone has right to agitate

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is part of the Maharashtra government, on Thursday staged silent protests across the state over the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue and demanded action against those responsible, while the party's state chief asserted that everyone has the right to agitate. The 35-foot statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder installed at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg's Malvan tehsil collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The incident has snowballed into a major political controversy with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) targeting the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government over it. The opposition leaders on Wednesday announced that on September 1, the MVA will take out a protest march in Mumbai against the statue collapse, while the ruling NCP also said it would stage silent protests in every district and tehsil of the state on Thursday and demand the installation of a stronger and larger statue o

Maha govt to allow women to lodge harassment complaints online: Ajit Pawar

The Maharashtra cabinet discussed PM Modi's instruction about online registration of women harassment cases and decided to adopt a different approach to prevent such incidents, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Monday. During a programme organised for "Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana" in Jalgaon on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed crimes against women an unpardonable sin and said the safety of women should be a priority. His strong remarks came against the backdrop of protests against the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital and the sexual abuse of two four-year-old school girls in Badlapur near Mumbai. Modi pointed out that an entire chapter is dedicated to crimes against women and children in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and if a woman cannot reach the police station, she can file an e-FIR, and no one can make any changes at the police station level. Talking to reporters here, Pawar said, "PM Modi has instructed about fili

Sexual offenders should be castrated: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Amid the outrage over the Badlapur sexual assault incident, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said those guilty of offences against women should be castrated. He was speaking at an official program about the Mahayuti government's flagship 'Ladki Bahin' scheme for women at Yavatmal in eastern Maharashtra. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government in the state would not spare anyone accused of offences against women, whoever the person may be, and a bill providing for a more stringent punishment in such offences has been forwarded to the President for the assent, he said. "I personally feel that when such perverts lay hand on our mothers-sisters, our daughters, they should face such a legal punishment that they should not think of (repeating the offence) again. To put it in my language, such persons' private organ should be removed....Some people are so vile, that this must be done," Pawar said. Alleged sexual assault of two kindergarten girls at a school at Badlapur in

I pay attention only to what Shinde, Bawankule, and Fadnavis say: Ajit

Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Monday said he is not bothered about his criticism by others and is only concerned about what key leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance say. Pawar's remarks came a day after a group of BJP workers led by the party's Junnar chief Asha Buchake waved black flags at his convoy. I don't have anything to do with what other people say. I pay attention to the key people, CM Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, Pawar told reporters during his Jan Sanman Yatra in Mumbai. The Nationalist Congress Party, led by Pawar, had demanded that Fadnavis, who also hold the Home portfolio, to clarify as to whether he approved of the behaviour of his BJP workers. Buchake had claimed that the NCP is trying to promote its candidate in the Junnar seat for the upcoming assembly polls. They are trying to strangle us Therefore we have adopted an aggressive stand, she told reporters after the protesters raised slogans ...

Had to go with Ajit Pawar as my bank faced troubles: NCP MLA Shingne

NCP MLA Rajendra Shingne has claimed that due to troubles faced by a cooperative bank with which he was associated, he had to side with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar after the party split last year. Ajit Pawar and several other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state last year, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded by Sharad Pawar. Shingne on Saturday shared the dias with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar at a programme in Wardha. Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the programme, the MLA, representing Sindkhed Raja in Buldhana district, said he has always respected Sharad Pawar. Shingne said he worked under the leadership of Sharad Pawar for around 30 years and that the latter has made a huge contribution to his political career and he will always be indebted to him. "However, of late, due to troubles faced by my district cooperative bank (in Buldhana) and helplessness, I had to go to them (ruling side) with Ajit Dada.

Mahayuti govt committed sin of fixing price for sisters' love: Sule

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Friday hit out at the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra over its flagship 'Ladki Bahin' scheme, accusing it of committing the sin of fixing a price for sisters' love. She said leaders in the government remembered their sisters only after the Lok Sabha elections. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) performed better than the ruling alliance in the state in the parliamentary elections. The Eknath Shinde-led government comprising Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP has introduced the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' to provide a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women. The government will formally launch the scheme on August 17 by transferring the first instalment to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. Speaking at the meeting of the opposition bloc MVA here, she said, "There is no money involved in the emotion of love. But the state government has linked the brother-sister relationship

Leading NCP huge responsibility, seat-sharing talks moving positively: Ajit

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party, has said that helming the NCP away from the shadows of his uncle and founder Sharad Pawar after the split is a huge responsibility. In an interview with PTI during his Jan Sanman Yatra, Pawar said on Thursday that the seat-sharing talks among the ruling Mahayuti partners NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP for the assembly polls are proceeding positively. Ajit Pawar and his loyalist MLAs broke away from NCP in July last year to align with the ruling alliance. He later got the party name and its clock symbol. Party founder Sharad Pawar, who now heads NCP (SP), is a part of the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), also comprising Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress. This is the biggest responsibility that I have ever received. Till now, (Sharad) Pawar saheb was our leader and our chief. When I joined politics in 1991, there was no NCP by then. When I was in Congress, there were several leaders. Therefore, there

Made mistake by fielding my wife against my sister in LS polls: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said he made a mistake by fielding his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin Supriya Sule in the recent Lok Sabha polls. One should not allow politics to enter home, Pawar, who is currently on a statewide 'Jan Samman Yatra', told Marathi news channel Jai Maharashtra. As part of his mass outreach programme ahead of the state assembly polls, the deputy CM has been promoting the government's 'Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana', aimed at providing financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to women. In the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, Sunetra Pawar unsuccessfully contested the election from Baramati seat against sitting NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, daughter of Ajit Pawar's uncle Sharad Pawar. Sunetra Pawar was later elected to the Rajya Sabha. In July last year, Ajit Pawar and a number of other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, leading to a split in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founded Sharad Pawar. The Electi

Ajit Pawar to kick off NCP's Jan Samman Yatra from Nashik on Aug 8

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will begin the Jan Samman Yatra, an outreach programme of the ruling NCP ahead of the state assembly election, from Dindori in Nashik district on August 8, his party announced on Monday. Speaking at a press conference, NCP working president Praful Patel said the Ajit Pawar-led party and its allies in the ruling Mahayuti, BJP and Shiv Sena, have to fight the upcoming election together and win. The NCP put up a united front, with the entire top leadership, including Patel, senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal, and cabinet ministers and MLAs, remaining present at the press conference, where the yatra schedule was announced. The NCP leadership has insisted that the Jan Samman Yatra was not limited to constituencies of NCP MLAs. Party leaders will also visit seats held by allies Shiv Sena and BJP, as the party wishes to present a united face of Mahayuti, they said. Patel said Pawar would meet NCP workers to boost their confidence and find time for

Fadnavis taking political vengeance by using ex-cop Waze: Deshmukh

Former Maharashtra home minister and senior NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Sunday claimed Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was taking "political vengeance" by levelling allegations against him using sacked police officer Sachin Waze. Talking to reporters here, Deshmukh challenged Fadnavis to make Justice Chandiwal Commission report public, claiming he had been given a clean chit. "Retired Justice Chandiwal conducted an inquiry for 11 months on the allegations against me by former Mumbai commissioner Parambir Singh and dismissed police officer Sachin Waze, who had clearly stated that neither I nor my PA had asked him for money or given him any," the NCP (SP) leader said. Waze on Saturday reiterated bribery allegations against Deshmukh, prompting the opposition to question the "timing" and Fadnavis assuring an inquiry. Deshmukh resigned as home minister in 2021 after Param Bir Singh accused him of setting a target to collect Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in

Will quit politics if reports of Delhi visit proven right: Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the ruling NCP, on Friday said he would quit politics if the veracity of the reports about him visiting New Delhi in disguise to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah before his party forged an alliance with the BJP, was proven. But if the reports are found to be wrong, those who made these allegations against him should quit politics, he challenged the leaders from the opposition parties, as he alleged that efforts were on to defame him. Reports published in a section of the media claimed that during an informal interaction held recently, Pawar himself said that he held some meetings with Amit Shah in the national capital on the alliance between the two parties. During that interaction, he reportedly said, "I used to wear a mask and a cap during air travel while going to Delhi to attend those meetings. I had changed my name also for air travel." Latching on to his reported statements, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) leaders

Pawar vs Pawar: SC seeks Ajit Pawar's response in NCP faction dispute

Sharad Pawar's NCP faction was granted provisional use of the party name and clock symbol following Ajit Pawar's split from the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Maharashtra govt asks K'taka to release more water from Almatti dam

In view of heavy rainfall in parts of western Maharashtra, the state government has urged Karnataka to release more water from Almatti dam to avoid flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur districts, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday. Almatti dam, officially known as Lal Bahadur Shastri dam, is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna river in north Karnataka. Speaking to reporters, he said, "The Maharashtra government has asked Karnataka to increase the water discharge from Almatti dam to three lakh cusec from the current outflow of 2.5 lakh cusec." The water storage of Koyna dam in Maharashtra's Satara district increased by six thousand million cubic feet (TMC) in a very short period, and it is already 75 per cent filled, he said. "It means, we need to discharge water from Koyna dam, which will increase the water levels of Krishna river," he said. Koyna dam is built on the Koyna river and its storage capacity is 105 TMC. The Koyna river is the biggest tributary of the ...

Ajit Pawar announces to go solo in upcoming Maharashtra local body polls

Pawar said that despite having contested Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha together as Mahayuti, every party will contest local body election as per their strengths