Heating up Maharashtra’s political scene at a time when he is inching closer to the BJP, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s high-profile nephew Ajit Pawar has once again spoken about his chief ministerial ambitions.
The 63-year-old junior Pawar, who was in Pune for a couple of days, is now headed for Mumbai, according to reports on Saturday evening.
At a function hosted by a media house in Pune, Pawar on Friday had hinted on his ambitions to become the chief minister.
During the interview, Pawar was asked whether he would like to become the chief minister, and to this, he promptly replied, "Yes, I would 100% like to be."
To a question whether in 2024, NCP would stake claim for the CM’s post, he replied, “Why 2024, we are ready to stake a claim for the chief minister position now also.” However, he did not specify further.
Pawar, an MLA from Baramati, who is now the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and had held ministerial assignments for over two decades - including being the deputy chief minister for four times.
He had been deputy chief minister for the two times during the erstwhile Congress-NCP Democratic Front government and once for three days when he was sworn in as deputy to Devendra Fadnavis during the controversial swearing in ceremony by then Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in November 2019.
However, later when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed - he again became deputy CM in the government headed by Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, however, had offered guarded comments.
"Who would not like to be chief minister? And he is capable of becoming chief minister. He has been in politics for so many years now and has been minister several times. He holds a record for having served as deputy chief minister for the most number of times. Everyone thinks one should become chief minister…He has not expressed this desire for the first time…my best wishes to him," Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.
“….It takes 145 numbers to become chief minister in Maharashtra. If Ajit Pawar has this number, he should become chief minister very easily,” state Congress President Nana Patole said.
After his latest statement, Fadnavis said, “Not everyone can become chief minister…but our best wishes.”