Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar vows swift action to restore OBC quota

Kolhapur: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday said Maharashtra govt will appoint top lawyers to expedite the Supreme Court case on OBC reservation in local bodies.
He said this would ensure that local body elections, which have been stalled for the past three years, can be held at the earliest.
"We are going to deploy the best lawyers to ensure the case speedily concludes," Pawar said, addressing a gathering in Mumbai. "Many leaders have made their mark at the state level through local bodies. I know party workers are disheartened as no local body elections have been held in the past three years."
Pawar was speaking at an event to welcome three former MLAs from Sangli district into the NCP. Shivajirao Naik (Shirala), Rajendra Anna Deshmukh (Atpadi), and Vilasrao Jagtap (Jat) joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, causing a significant setback for NCP (Sharad Pawar) state chief Jayant Patil, especially on his home turf.
Naik and Deshmukh were previously aligned with NCP(SP), while Jagtap, a former BJP member, supported independent Vishal Patil in the Lok Sabha polls. Jagtap and his supporter Tamangouda Ravi, who also joined NCP, had contested against BJP in the assembly elections.
Former MLA Ajit Ghorpade of Kavathe Mahankal, who had joined NCP earlier, did not attend the event.
Pawar said Sangli district has been left out of the current Mahayuti cabinet. "Sangli always had three to four ministers in the past. I will ensure that its long-pending development and irrigation issues are addressed," he said.
He also emphasised on the need for greater youth involvement in the party and criticised the previous MVA government for holding local body elections without OBC representation. "When Uddhav Thackeray was CM, elections were held with representation for women and Adivasis, but not for OBCs. The OBC community makes up 52% of the population. I believe they too deserve representation in local bodies," he said.
Ajit Pawar will rehabilitate Sanjaykaka, says Chandrakant Patil
Ending speculation about former BJP MP Sanjaykaka Patil's return to the party, BJP politician and Sangli guardian minister Chandrakant Patil said, "Sanjaykaka is now with Ajit Pawar's party. Ajit Pawar will look after his political rehabilitation, and as allies, we will support him."
Patil also reiterated that BJP's offer to Sangli's independent MP Vishal Patil — to join BJP or support BJP-led NDA at Centre — still stands. Recently, Vishal Patil, who currently supports the INDIA bloc, expressed hope of becoming a minister in the future, whether through Congress or another party.