Mumbai: As anticipated, senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar was sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a record fourth time, here on Monday.
He was administered the oath of office by Governor B S Koshyari in the presence of Maha Vikas Aghadi Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and other dignitaries.
This is for the fourth time that the 60-year-old Ajit Pawar – nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar - has become the Deputy Chief Minister – the first being in November 2010, then October 2012, later in November 2019 for barely 80 hours, and again on Monday.
The only other leader to hold the post more than once is his senior NCP colleague - Chhagan Bhujbal in October 1999 and December 2008.
All others – Nasikrao Tirpude, Sundarrao Solanke, Ramrao Adik, Gopinath Munde, R R Patil (all deceased) and Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil – have occupied the post only once.
Shiv Sena's Aditya Thackeray also made it to the cabinet in Monday's expansion.
Aditya Thackeray is Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's son and the first member of the Thackeray clan to have contested and entered the Assembly.
The Cabinet expansion comes 32 days after Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as Chief Minister of a coalition comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress parties, known as Maha Vikas Aghadi. Currently the ministry comprises of seven members apart from the Chief Minister.
Ajit Pawar who was the Deputy Chief Minister in the shortlived Fadnavis government, has since returned to the NCP fold and it was widely believed that he would be rehabilitated.
Earlier, when the Shiv Sena and BJP had been allies and fought the assembly elections, Aditya Thackeray had been projected as the Deputy Chief Minister. However, when the alliance broke and Shiv Sena tied up with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, his father Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister.
(With IANS inputs)
