In the midst of the Maharashtra political crisis, NCP rebel Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, but many believe that his fight for power is still set to continue, and he has plans to take over Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s seat.

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Just as the NCP infighting continues, party patriarch Sharad Pawar continues to make big moves against his nephew Ajit Pawar, and announced that NCP rebels Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare have been expelled from his party for “anti-party activities”.

“I, as the National President, of Nationalist Congress Party hereby order removal of the names of Shri Sunil Tatkare and Shri Praful Patel from the Register of Members of NCP Party for anti-party activities,” Sharad Pawar tweeted.

In an official statement, Sharad Pawar also said that attending the swearing-in ceremony of Ajit Pawar as the Maharashtra Deputy CM was seen as an act of disrespect. He said, “This act (attending Ajit Pawar's swearing-in ceremony) is against party discipline as well as party policy.”

Meanwhile, just like the Sena vs Sena tussle for the symbol and party name of the Nationalist Congress Party, it is expected that NCP will also soon see a decision from the Election Commission as Ajit Pawar is all set to launch his own faction of the party, following the steps of Eknath Shinde when he rebelled against then Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Praful Patel, who was sacked from the NCP for supporting Ajit Pawar, declared the rebel nephew the “Group Leader” of the party, while Sharad Pawar continues to remain the president.

Patel said, “We request Sharad Pawar to accept the decision of the majority in the party... We want his blessings. If there's any issue within the party, the Election Commission of India decides who has the party and symbol.”

READ | NCP split: What Ajit Pawar’s big move means for Sharad Pawar, opposition unity, BJP, 2024 Lok Sabha polls? Key takeaways