Ajit Pawar's NCP Faction Locked Out of New Office Amid Turmoil In Maharashtra Politics

In the midst of intense deliberations and power struggles within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajit Pawar's camp faced embarrassment this morning when a set of keys went missing.

As the battle for party control unfolds against his uncle, Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, currently serving as Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, was scheduled to inaugurate a new party office near the state secretariat.

However, loyalists of Ajit Pawar arrived at the new 'Rashtrawadi Bhavan' only to find themselves locked out, with the keys nowhere to be found.

Party leaders were forced to wait outside the locked doors, making frantic calls to locate the missing keys as soon as possible.

Subsequently, footage showed young leaders attempting to break a lock in order to gain entry into the bungalow and prepare it for Ajit Pawar's inauguration later in the day.

However, upon entering, they encountered a new challenge: the doors of the rooms inside were also locked.

The chosen bungalow for the party office was previously owned by Ambadas Danve, the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and a loyalist of Uddhav Thackeray. Danve has since been assigned another bungalow.

Ajit Pawar's key predicament arises on a day when both his faction and Sharad Pawar's faction are holding crucial meetings to strategize their next moves.

The NCP's allies, the Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), are also convening today to discuss the recent unexpected developments.

Both factions claim to be the legitimate representatives of the NCP, but they have not disclosed the number of supporting MLAs.

Sharad Pawar has taken a strong stance against the rebels, dismissing senior leaders like Praful Patel for attending the ceremony on Sunday when Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the government led by Eknath Shinde.

The faction led by Sharad Pawar has filed a petition with Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, seeking the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and his loyalists.

Furthermore, the party has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, emphasizing that Sharad Pawar, the founder of NCP, continues to lead the party.