In a political development that has caught onlookers off-guard, NCP leader Ajit Pawar extended support to the BJP, leading to former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis being sworn in as chief minister and Ajit himself as the deputy chief minister.
However, what Ajit has pulled off on the morning of 23 November is similar to what his own uncle pulled off for power back in 1978.
What Happened in 1978
In the 1977 Lok Sabha polls right after emergency ended, the Indian National Congress party lost to the Janata Party. Taking responsibility for the defeat, Maharashtra Congress Chief Minister Shakarrao Chavan resigned and, in his place, Vasantdada Patil became the chief minister.
This was followed by a division of the Congress and both parts contested the assembly elections in the state in 1978 separately. While the Janata Party emerged as the largest party in the election, it did not have a majority. Hence, the two divisions within the Congress came together to form a government.
In this government, Sharad Pawar was the Minister of Industry and Labour.
But this union did not last long. He left the Indian National Congress in July 1978 and formed his own party, called the Indian Congress (socialist). This then, led to the fall of the Congress government.
Pawar was then sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra at the age of 38, on 18 July 1978, with the support of the Janata Party, in what was called the progressive democratic coalition.
However, his stint as CM did not last long. As soon as Indira Gandhi’s government was formed in the 1980 Lok Sabha polls, Sharad Pawar’s government was dismissed. The Congress party then got a majority in the 1980 elections with AR Antulay as the chief minister.