Maharashtra Politics News Live Updates: Sharad Pawar expels Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare and S R Kohli from NCP; says I am the president of party

NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday claimed support of 40 MLAs and MLCs. He said, "More than 40 MLAs and MLCs are with us. We have done all the due diligence before taking the oath. We did not take the oath just like that."

Sharad Pawar's grand nephew Rohit Pawar on Tuesday said the BJP does not like "lok netas (mass leaders)" like Ajit Pawar and so before the elections it will erode his power, stature and following. Rohit, an MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed who remains with the Sharad Pawar-led faction, said his uncle Ajit will not have any autonomy in an alliance with the BJP. Rohit who is touring parts of the state with Pawar senior said the family had anticipated that BJP would attempt to split the NCP but were surprised that leaders including Ajit Pawar supported the operation.

A day after sacking them from the party, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP filed two separate petitions for the disqualification of Praful Patel from the Rajya Sabha and Sunil Tatkare from the Lok Sabha.NCP working president Supriya Sule filed the petition for disqualification of Tatkare on Tuesday before Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and the LS secretary general, while Rajya Sabha member Vandana Chavan submitted a petition before RS chairman Jagdeep Dhankar for disqualification of Patel.

The Ajit Pawar-led group of the NCP will soon approach the Election Commission of India to stake claim on the party's name and symbol.Former principal secretary (Maharashtra legislature), Anant Kalse, said Ajit Pawar will have to file an application before the ECI for securing the name and symbol of the party. "If Ajit Pawar is claiming that he represents the NCP, he will have to get approval from the ECI. He will have to clear the triple test for the purpose," Kalse told TOI.