NCP crisis: Deputy CM Ajit Pawar appoints Narendra Rane as Maharashtra party President

The move by NCP chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, which also saw eight other NCP MLAs joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government, came amid efforts by opposition parties to forge unity to take on the BJP in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Amid the ongoing Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) crisis in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday (July 6) appointed Narendra Rane as Mumbai President of the NCP. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar congratulated Narendra Rane by handing over the appointment letter.

On July 2, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who was also the Maharashtra Leader of Opposition, joined the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra and took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The move by NCP chief Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar, which also saw eight other NCP MLAs joining the Shinde-Fadnavis government, came amid efforts by opposition parties to forge unity to take on the BJP in the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, as NCP chief Sharad Pawar went all-out in the fight to retain control over the party, his supporters on Thursday morning tagged his nephew Ajit Pawar as a "traitor" and said the people will not forgive him.

Posters displayed outside the Delhi residence of Pawar senior called for a comparison between Ajit Pawar's power grab within the party and a notable act of betrayal depicted in the blockbuster film Baahubali.

The opposing faction, led by Ajit Pawar's nephew, has formally approached the Election Commission in a bid to secure the party's name and symbol, asserting that the majority of the party's legislators support Ajit Pawar's leadership.