Maharashtra Minister Dharmarao Baba Atram asserted that Ajit Pawar is poised to assume the role of the state's chief minister in the near future. Speaking to media persons here, he said the strength of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had increased in the recently held gram panchayat polls due to the power of the deputy chief minister. I have been saying for a long time that Ajit Pawar will become chief minister. This will happen very soon, the state Food and Drug Administration minister said without elaborating.
The Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Aheri in Gadchiroli stated that Ajit Pawar, who reportedly contracted dengue, impacted the performance of the NCP faction in the gram panchayat polls held on November 5. The results were declared the following day. Ajit Pawar and eight NCP MLAs, including Atram, had joined the Eknath Shinde government on July 2.