Ajit Pawar shakes Maha politics!

In a sensational claim that has stirred Maharashtra's political circles, Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar has accused the previous BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government of inflating the cost of an irrigation project by Rs 110 crore to collect "party funds."

The allegations come at a time when the NCP is contesting municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad independently, leading to a direct face-off with its state-level ally, the BJP.

Speaking at a press conference in Pune, Ajit Pawar claimed that before the NCP came to power in 1999, the then-government had significantly hiked project costs.

Talking about the Purandar Lift Irrigation scheme, he said, "The Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) was under my jurisdiction. I still have the records."

"The Purandar scheme was originally estimated at a certain amount, but when I took over, I found the cost had escalated to Rs 330 crore. When I questioned officials about how the cost jumped by Rs 110 crore, they told me that Rs 100 crore was added because 'party funds' were required, and officials added another Rs 10 crore on top of that."

Deputy CM Pawar further asserted that he had cancelled the inflated scheme at the time.

"I have the signed documents as evidence. If I had released these files earlier, it would have caused a massive stir because the signatures are right there," he added.

The timing of these remarks is significant as NCP is currently in a bitter struggle for dominance in the Pune region against both NCP (SP) and the BJP.

Earlier in the week, Pawar had also targeted the BJP by reminding the public that those who once accused him of a "Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam" are now sitting in power with him.

DCM Pawar's latest "bomb" is seen as a direct hit on his current cabinet colleagues, as a BJP leader held the Irrigation Department in the 1990s. However, the BJP has reacted sharply to the allegations.

Revenue Minister and former state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule questioned Pawar's silence for the last 25 years. "We have an agreement that, despite political differences, there should be no personal malice. We don't understand why Ajit Pawar is acting this way," Minister Bawankule said.

"Pawar is a senior leader, and we did not expect this from him. If he had these files and evidence in 1999, why did he stay silent until now? He should have disclosed this back then," Bawankule said.

Minister Bawankule suggested that Pawar's outbursts might be a result of "negative feedback" regarding the NCP's prospects in the upcoming Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections.