Is Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar sulking? Or, is he trying to garner sympathy for himself? Going by his recent public statements, the latter seems to be the case.
When Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently visited Mumbai to take part in Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, Ajit chose not to meet him along with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. When his absence became news, he met Shah at the airport.
It was reported that Ajit asked Shah to make him chief minister if the BJP-led alliance retained power after the assembly polls, due in November. Ajit later denied the report, saying he only discussed problems faced by farmers.
Apparently, Ajit has realised that his Nationalist Congress Party faces an uphill task in the polls. He recently said he did not have to ask for permission while distributing party tickets as he was the saheb (boss). It was a veiled reference to his uncle, former chief minister Sharad Pawar, with whom he had parted ways in February last year. In response, Amol Kolhe, MP, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP that opposes Ajit, retorted that Maharashtra knows only two sahebs-Balasaheb Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.
A leader of Ajit's NCP in Pune district told THE WEEK that the party could get to contest 60 to 65 seats in the polls. "I met him (Ajit) a few days ago; instead of assembly elections, we spoke about elections in sugar cooperatives. But 60 to 65 seats is what we are aiming to contest [in the assembly polls]," said the leader.
Ajit recently said that he was ready to step aside if the people of Baramati, the assembly constituency that he has represented for more than three decades, wanted another leader to be their representative. This led to speculation regarding his future with Baramati.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 29, 2024-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 29, 2024-Ausgabe von THE WEEK India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI