NCP's Ajit Pawar gets Finance

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who led the mutiny against his uncle and party chief Sharad Pawar and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra to become Deputy Chief Minister, has been rewarded with the prized finance portfolio.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday claimed Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be replaced and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar could helm the government in future.

 “Ajit Pawar could become the CM in future. It is certain that the CM (Eknath Shinde) will be replaced,” Raut claimed after Pawar was given the finance and planning ministries.

Ambadas Danve, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said time is exacting revenge on the Shiv Sena 40 MLAs who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray.

Danve said the Shiv Sena MLAs had accused Ajit Pawar of depriving them of funds when they were part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and left the party and today the same person has become the state’s finance minister.

Shinde’s rebellion last year split the original Shiv Sena and caused the collapse of the Uddhav Thackerayled MVA government, comprising Sena, Congress and NCP. (PTI)