Ajit Pawar’s resignation accepted, says Sharad Pawar

Ajit Pawar, 53-year-old nephew of Sharad Pawar, had resigned on 25th September 2012 following media reports about his alleged involvement in a Rs 20,000 crore scam when he held the irrigation portfolio between 1999 and 2009, plunging the 13-year-old Congress-NCP coalition in the state into a crisis. The stalemate over Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s resignation ended on 28th September 2012 with NCP chief Sharad Pawar deciding to ask Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to accept it. Sharad Pawar said, the resignation of all other NCP ministers have been rejected and they would resume their official duties from tomorrow. HE also said the NCP legislators had demanded in the meeting that a white paper on the status of irrigation projects in the state be brought out at the earliest.