NCP Expels 3 Leaders for Attending Ajit Pawar’s Swearing-in Ceremony

Mumbai: The NCP on Monday expelled its three leaders from the party for attending Ajit Pawar’s swearing-in as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra on Sunday.

The expelled leaders were Shivaji Rao Garje, the regional general secretary the NCP, Vijay Deshmukh, the Akola City District President of the party, and Narendra Rane, the working president of NCP’s Mumbai division.

NCP’s State Disciple Committee has passed a resolution to disqualify nine NCP MLAs for “indulging in anti-party activities” after they attended the swearing-in ceremony of Ajit Pawar.

Ajit Pawar, the nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, has become deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. Eight other NCP MLAs also took the oath to join the cabinet of the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.

On Monday, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP filed a disqualification petition against the nine rebel MLAs before the Maharashtra Assembly speaker. It also wrote to the Election Commission, stating that party workers from all districts were supporting the NCP chief Sharad Pawar.