Ajit Pawar

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Ajit Pawar
Pawar in 2024
8th Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 July 2023 Serving with Devendra Fadnavis
Governor	Ramesh Bais
Chief Minister	Eknath Shinde
Ministry and Departments	Finance Planning
Guardian Minister	Pune District
Preceded by	Devendra Fadnavis
In office 30 December 2019 – 29 June 2022[1]
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief Minister	Uddhav Thackeray
Ministry and Departments	Finance Planning State Excise (additional charge)
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Devendra Fadnavis
In office 23 November 2019 – 26 November 2019
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Chief Minister	Devendra Fadnavis
Ministry and Departments	Minister without Portfolio
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	Himself
In office 25 October 2012 – 26 September 2014
Governor	Om Prakash Kohli (additional charge) C. Vidyasagar Rao
Chief Minister	Prithviraj Chavan
Ministry and Departments	Finance Planning Energy
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	President's rule
In office 10 November 2010 – 25 September 2012
Governor	K. Sankaranarayanan
Chief Minister	Prithviraj Chavan
Ministry and Departments	Finance Planning Energy
Preceded by	Chhagan Bhujbal
Succeeded by	Himself
29th Leader of the Opposition Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office 4 July 2022 – 2 July 2023
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari Ramesh Bais
Deputy	Balasaheb Thorat
Chief Minister	Eknath Shinde
Speaker of the House	Zirwal Narhari Sitaram (acting) Rahul Narwekar
Preceded by	Devendra Fadnavis
Succeeded by	Jitendra Awhad (acting)
Leader of the House of the Maharashtra Legislative Council
In office 24 February 2020 – 29 June 2022
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Chairman	Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar
Deputy Leader	Subhash Desai
Preceded by	Chandrakant Patil Subhash Desai (acting)
Succeeded by	Devendra Fadnavis
In office 11 November 2010 – 25 September 2012
Governor	K. Sankaranarayanan
Chairman	Shivajirao Deshmukh
Preceded by	Chhagan Bhujbal
Succeeded by	R. R. Patil
Deputy Leader of the House Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
In office 30 December 2019 – 29 June 2022
Governor	Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Speaker of the House	Nana Patole Zirwal Narhari Sitaram (acting)
Leader of the House	Uddhav Thackeray
Preceded by	Girish Mahajan
Succeeded by	Devendra Fadnavis
Cabinet Minister Government of Maharashtra
In office 7 November 2009 – 10 November 2010
Governor	S. C. Jamir K. Sankaranarayanan
Ministry and Departments	Water Resources Krishna Valley Irrigation Corporation Energy
Chief Minister	Ashok Chavan
Preceded by	Sunil Tatkare Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar
Succeeded by	Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar Sunil Tatkare
In office 08 December 2008 – 06 November 2009
Governor	S. C. Jamir
Ministry and Departments	Water Resources Water Supply Sanitation Command Area Development
Chief Minister	Ashok Chavan
In office 9 November 2004 – 1 December 2008
Governor	Mohammed Fazal S. M. Krishna S. C. Jamir
Ministry and Departments	Water Resources Excluding Krishna Valley Corporation
Chief Minister	Vilasrao Deshmukh
Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 1991
Preceded by	Sharad Pawar
Constituency	Baramati
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 3 May 1991 – 20 June 1991
Preceded by	Shankarrao Bajirao Patil
Succeeded by	Sharad Pawar
Constituency	Baramati
Personal details
Born	(1959-07-22) 22 July 1959 (age 64) Deolali Pravara, Bombay State (now in Maharashtra), India
Political party	Nationalist Congress Party
Other political affiliations	National Democratic Alliance (2023–present)
Spouse	Sunetra Pawar
Children	2
Residence(s)	Sahyog, Maharashtra, India
Website	www.ajitpawar.org
Nickname	Ajit Dada

Ajit Anantrao Pawar (Marathi pronunciation: [əd͡ʒit̪ pəʋaːɾ]; born 22 July 1959) is an Indian politician who is currently serving, alongside Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2 July, 2023.^[2] He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2022 to 2023, and was a Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha in 1991, representing Baramati constituency.^[3][4] He has also been a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly since 1991, representing Baramati constituency.^[5][6]

He is the nephew of Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party and a four-time former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.^[7][8] He has been Deputy Chief Minister of the state the most number of times and is currently serving his 5th term.^[9] He has also been a Cabinet Minister in the Maharashtra government thrice: from 2004–2008, 2008–2009, and 2009–2010.

In 2019, he joined a government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party and became the Deputy Chief Minister; he claimed to have the support of a majority of the NCP's MLA's, but resigned from his post, alongside then-CM Devendra Fadnavis.^[10] In 2023, he led another split in the NCP and became the Deputy Chief Minister in the cabinet of CM Eknath Shinde. Having the support of the majority of the erstwhile NCP's MLAs, he also claimed the position of president of the NCP, as well as the party's name and its electoral symbol.^[11][12]In 7 February 2024, The Election Commission Of India (ECI) awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit.The faction led by Sharad Pawar will be henceforth known as Nationalist Congress Party (SharadChandra Pawar).^[13]