You will be Chief Minister one day, Devendra Fadnavis tells Ajit Pawar

In a moment that raised eyebrows in Maharashtra's political circles, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a surprising remark about his deputy, Ajit Pawar, during a speech in the legislative assembly.

"You are called the 'permanent deputy CM'... but my wishes are with you. You will be the Chief Minister someday," Fadnavis said, addressing Pawar during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address.

During his address, Fadnavis also shared a light-hearted note about the working schedule of Maharashtra's leadership trio. He said



that Ajit Pawar would take on responsibilities early in the morning, and Eknath Shinde would work through the night.

"Ajit Pawar will work in the morning since he is an early riser. I am on duty from 12 noon to midnight while throughout the night... you all know who," Fadnavis said, referring to Shinde, who is known to work till late hours.

Ajit Pawar, who recently took oath as Deputy Chief Minister for the sixth time, joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government in 2023 after a dramatic split from the NCP, originally founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar.