Sharad Pawar's 'NCP would have split in 2004 over CM's post' claim an outright lie: Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday termed as an "outright lie" the claim made by his uncle and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar that the undivided party would have split in 2004 had it staked the claim for the Maharashtra chief minister's post.

Addressing leaders and functionaries of the Nationalist Congress Party headed by him, Ajit Pawar said he and senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, and Praful Patel wanted the NCP (undivided) should get the CM's post in 2004.

"Sharad Pawar recently claimed that had (undivided NCP) demanded the chief minister's post in 2004, the NCP would have disintegrated. It is an outright lie. I was there (in decision-making). Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, and Praful Patel were also there (at the party meeting). We all wanted to have the chief minister's post with our party," he claimed.

"I was not keen on becoming the chief minister at that time," Ajit Pawar quipped.

Notably, Ajit Pawar, in the last few months, had expressed disappointment over his uncle Sharad Pawar not staking a claim to the post of the chief minister in the past.

The Congress and the undivided NCP jointly ran the Maharashtra government between 1999 and 2014, with the Chief Minister always being from the Congress and the Deputy CM’s post generally being helmed by the NCP as per a formula agreed to by both parties.

Interestingly, the 2004 assembly elections were an exception when the NCP (undivided) had won more seats (71) than its ally Congress (69) in the 288-member House.

However, Sharad Pawar offered the CM's post to Congress and bagged more Cabinet portfolios in the state as well as at the Centre for his party, after splitting Congress in 1999.

The senior Pawar last week claimed the NCP (undivided) would have been split way back in 2004, suggesting there were many contenders for the post of chief minister. He had also said the leadership in his party was inexperienced at that time.

Commenting on the issue for the first time, Ajit Pawar said he believed that Chhagan Bhujbal would be selected for the top post in 2004, because, after the formation of the NCP (in 1999), he spread the party in all corners of the state.

"Nobody can deny it as we all have been witnesses to it (his efforts)," he said.

Ajit Pawar also disputed the 'inexperienced leadership' claim.

"In 1991, when the NCP was not split from the Congress, Sharad Pawar had to go to Delhi because he was given the Defence portfolio. MLAs had unanimously supported Padamsinh Patil for the post of the chief minister after Sharad Pawar," he claimed.

According to Ajit, the name of Sudhakarrao Naik was not even proposed for the CM's post at that time.

Naik, a senior Congress leader, succeeded Sharad Pawar as the 11th chief minister of Maharashtra in June 1991 and remained in office till February 1993.

"Naik was a senior leader and we worked under him later when he became the CM after Sharad Pawar took charge as the defence minister. How can we become inexperienced in 2004 after 15 years? It was never the case for not accepting the CM's post," Ajit added.

Ajit Pawar split the NCP in July 2023 and joined the Mahayuti government of Shiv Sena and BJP.