Another Eventful 21 June In Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar 'Doesn't Want To Be Leader Of Opposition Anymore'

Ajit Pawar, nephew of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, has demanded more responsibility in the party organisation less than two weeks after his uncle expressed his intention to pass on his political legacy to daughter Supriya Sule.

During a speech at the NCP's foundation day celebration in Mumbai on Wednesday (21 June), Ajit Pawar pitched his work and asked for a post to work for the party organisation, stating, "Give me any post in the party that you feel is right. I will do justice to it," reports The Print.

"I want to be relieved now and given responsibility in the organisation. Then see where I take the party. Of course, this decision lies with the senior leadership," he said at Mumbai's Shanmukhananda Auditorium. 

Ajit Pawar made his request to be relieved of his position as Opposition leader in Maharashtra and given responsibility in the organisation at

The NCP marked its foundation day on 10 June in Delhi, during which Sharad Pawar announced that Supriya Sule and Praful Patel would be the party's national working presidents.

While he made more appointments for the party's work at the national level, he did not mention Ajit Pawar.

The former Deputy CM of Maharashtra was present on the dais during the announcement and congratulated Sule and Patel later.

Earlier last month, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had announced his decision to retire as party president and formed a committee of senior leaders to choose his successor.

However, after protest by party workers, Pawar withdrew his decision. 

Ajit Pawar, speaking at the Mumbai event on Wednesday, stated that he had always been aware that he did not want to work at the Centre. 

He reminisced about his early days at the party's Baramati taluka office in 1987 and becoming an MP in 1991.

"After seeing everything there for six months I realised this is not my kind of work, I should go back to Maharashtra. Told Supriya it is her work and so she started focusing there (nationally), I started focusing here (in Maharashtra),” Ajit Pawar was quoted as saying by The Print.

Ajit Pawar added that when the government changed last year and the Eknath Shinde-led government took over, he did not want to be the Opposition leader in the Maharashtra assembly.

He took up the post of Opposition leader only after MLAs insisted and signed a paper, and the party leadership asked him. 

It should be noted that on 21 June last year, Eknath Shinde, who was a minister in Uddhav Thackeray led MVA government in Maharashtra, along with several other MLAs of the alliance moved to Surat, which led to series of events that resulted in collapse of the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government.

Ajit Pawar said that he has worked as Opposition leader for a year.

"Some say I am not as aggressive. What should I do now? Hold their necks?” Ajit Pawar said.

He also highlighted his successful record of running the administration, stating that he immediately cleared people's work with a simple yes or no while working in mantralaya.