'You will be CM one day': Devendra Fadnavis tells Ajit Pawar, shares his 24-hour shift plan

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday told NCP leader Ajit Pawar that he will become CM one day. While speaking in the legislative assembly, he emphasised that he and his deputy chief ministers will be work in different shifts throughout the day.

Fadnavis said Ajit Pawar will work in the morning shift as he is an "early riser". The Maharashtra chief minister will work from 12 noon to midnight. Referring to Shinde, who is known to work till late hours, the BJP leader said, "throughout the night… you all know who will work."

The remarks from the Maharashta chief minister came while he was replying to a debate in the legislative assembly.

Turning to Ajit Pawar, he said, "you are called 'permanent deputy CM'... but my wishes are with you... you will be the CM someday."

Ajit Pawar took oath as Maharashtra deputy chief minister for the sixth time on December 5.

Known for his chief ministerial aspirations, he divided the Nationalist Congress Party in 2023, subsequently joining the BJP-led Mahayuti administration.

His faction secured both the party name and 'clock' symbol in the subsequent legal dispute. His uncle, Sharad Pawar, now leads NCP (SP), which aligns with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition.

Despite NCP securing only one seat in the Lok Sabha elections, Ajit Pawar's party demonstrated remarkable recovery in recent assembly polls, winning 41 out of 57 contested seats.

The Mahayuti coalition, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, secured more than 230 seats in the 288-member assembly, while MVA obtained 46 seats.