Despite Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar commenting that the issue of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s resignation was over, the Congress in Maharashtra said they were yet to receive any communication on the matter from New Delhi.
Mr. Pawar, who resigned suddenly on Tuesday, forwarded his resignation to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who has not yet forwarded it to the Governor.
“No word has been conveyed to the Chief Minister as yet to accept Ajit Pawar’s resignation,” said Congress State president Manikrao Thakre on Thursday, alluding to Mr. Sharad Pawar’s statement given to an agency that the NCP chief had “permitted” Mr. Pawar to step down.
Mr. Thakre also brushed aside suggestions of the NCP pulling out of the coalition in the State, referring to Mr. Sharad Pawar’s emphatic statements that he would not destabilise the government in Maharashtra.
All eyes are fixed on Friday’s ‘informal’ NCP meeting, where the older Mr. Pawar would be conferring with his party Ministers and legislators, after they requested time from the NCP chief to discuss the resignation issue.
Mr. Pawar is expected to reach the city on Thursday after visiting Belgaum where he will pay his last respects to departed NCP leader Babasaheb Kupekar.
Speaking to reporters after an informal meeting of the Congress Ministers and legislators in the morning, Mr. Thakre said: “Whatever decision taken by the NCP high command would be discussed by the Congress high command as well, adding that the situation so demanded, both parties would also sit together and iron out the differences, if any, between them at the State level.”
Mr. Thakre, however, refused to elaborate as to when such a meeting would take place, merely stating that the Congress-NCP coordination committee would take place as usual. The meeting is scheduled to be held on October 4. He said that both the Congress as well as the NCP Ministers, stood solidly behind the Chief Minister.
