Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar sought to quell rumors of a rift within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. This coalition includes his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Eknath Shinde‘s Shiv Sena. He made these remarks after concerns arose over his early exit from a state Cabinet meeting. Many questioned whether this signaled potential tensions as Maharashtra gears up for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Pawar clarified that his departure did not indicate discord. He left the Cabinet meeting to attend a prior commitment in Ahmedpur, located in the Marathwada region. During a press conference after the induction of actor Sayaji Shinde into the NCP, he stated, “All is well, and speculation about any dispute in the state cabinet meeting is baseless. Too much is being read into it”.
With elections approaching, Pawar also discussed his potential candidacy for the Baramati Assembly seat. He remained non-committal but indicated that he would make a decision once the seat-sharing arrangements are finalized. “All the cabinet decisions taken yesterday have my approval,” he emphasized, aiming to reinforce stability within the alliance.
It’s important to note that Pawar‘s wife, Sunetra Pawar, faced defeat earlier this year against his estranged cousin, Supriya Sule. Sule leads the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) in the Baramati Lok Sabha race. This loss adds another layer of complexity to Ajit Pawar’s political landscape.
In parallel to these developments, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced plans for the Mahayuti alliance to finalize its seat-sharing arrangements within the next three days. With the current Assembly term ending on November 26, urgency surrounds these discussions.
Bawankule stated, “We will discuss the seats, and the BJP central parliamentary board will meet on October 13. We have completed talks on 90 percent of the seats, and we expect to finalize the remaining 10 percent in the next three days”.
As the election season intensifies, all eyes will focus on how the Mahayuti alliance navigates these negotiations. Presenting a united front will be crucial as they face upcoming electoral challenges. The next few days promise to be pivotal for the coalition as they work to solidify their strategy and maintain cohesion ahead of the polls.
Kolkata: On Friday, January 10, 2026, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha members demonstrated against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her actions after the ED raids at the I-PAC office and its chief Pratik Jain's home. | In relation to an alleged coal smuggling case that stretches back a few years, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) office and Pratik Jain's home on Loudon Street in Kolkata on Thursday, January 8, 2025. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a protest against the ED raids on I-PAC after the raid set off a political storm in the state. Why is a chief minister endorsing Pratik Jain, and who is he? Pratik Jain, a political strategist and co-founder of I-PAC, is a graduate of IIT Bombay. He is credited with helping I-PAC grow into one of the most significant political consulting organizations in India. I-PAC was established in 2015 and offers services like data-driven campaign management, support for governance, and voter outreach initiatives. It has collaborated with a number of Indian political groups throughout the years, notably West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (TMC). I-PAC reportedly collaborates closely with Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress, and his office. The company oversees the IT and media division of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and is in charge of creating its election campaigns. Mr. Jain was in charge of the Trinamool Congress's IT cell, according to Ms. Banerjee. According to his LinkedIn page, Jain, an engineering graduate from IIT Bombay, started his career as an analyst at the consulting firm Deloitte. He was one of the first members of Citizens of Accountable Governance, which later evolved into I-PAC. Arvind Kejriwal, M.K. Stalin, Jaganmohan Reddy, Uddhav Thackeray, Rahul Gandhi, and Nitish Kumar are just a few of the prominent figures with whom the political consultancy firm has collaborated.…
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