Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel has said that nephew Pawar will get the opportunity to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. However, Patel has not specified any time frame. The 64-year-old Ajit Pawar, the nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, has been a minister for close to a quarter of a century, was the Leader of the Opposition, and is currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister.
Over the past few months, there has been speculation that Shinde, who heads the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government - is on his way out though the BJP has denied it repeatedly even as posters have emerged describing Ajit Pawar, a former MP and seven-time Baramati MLA, as the future chief minister. Patel, who is the NCP’s Working President, has made an open-ended statement in Nagpur, triggering speculations once again on Junior Pawar assuming the top job. “The post (of Chief Minister) is not vacant, so why talk about it,” said Patel. Ajit Dada is a popular leader. He has been leading our party for several years now. Those who work get the opportunity either today, tomorrow or the day after. Many have got the opportunity. Ajit Dada will also get it, if not today, tomorrow or anytime in future. We will work in that direction,” said Patel, a Rajya Sabha member and former Civil Aviation Minister. The statement of Patel comes days after Fadnavis had ruled out any such possibility. "As a leader of the single largest party in ‘Maha Yuti' (NDA), I am officially telling you that Ajit Pawar will not become the chief minister of Maharashtra….When meetings of 'Maha Yuti' took place…Ajit Pawar was given a clear picture that he would not get the post of chief minister,” Fadnavis had said.