Maharashtra News Updates: Ajit Pawar and other 9 NCP MLA's to contest all elections in the name of NCP only. Maharashtra CM welcomes Ajit Pawar entry into NDA after he took oath as the Deputy CM of Maharashtra in Raj Bhawan. The oath happened in the presence of Maharashtra governor, CM Shinde and BJP's Fadnavis.

A total of 9 NCP leaders took oath as Maharashtra ministers after Ajit Pawar and other party leaders joined the NDA government in Maharashtra.

The former leader of opposition of the Maharashtra assembly has the support of nine MLAs, who have taken oath in cabinet ministers’ positions.

MLAs who are with Pawar are Dilip Walse Patil, Hassan Mushrif, Dharmarao Baba Atram, Aditi Sunil Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode, Anil Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal.

The oath-taking ceremony started at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai at around 2.20 pm.

Pawar is the nephew of NCP head Sharad Pawar. He will reportedly share the post with Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis.

Now the double engine has become a triple engine. I welcome Ajit Pawar and other leaders who have decided to come along,” chief minister Eknath Shinde told reporters in Mumbai.

Ajit Pawar claimed his decision, in which he is apparently backed by most MLAs and senior leaders of the NCP, was in support of the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past nine years. “Seeing his (Modi’s) work, we consider it is important we too support his effort,” Pawar said, in a press meet arranged soon after his decision to join the Shinde- Fadnavis government.

Senior leader Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal were present at the press meet. Interestingly, Pawar, Bhujbal and Patel all have pending Enforcement Directorate cases against them.

Before the presser, Pawar had allegedly called an urgent meeting of NCP leaders today. There were rumours that he had met BJP senior Amit Shah earlier this week. Out of the 54 MLAs that NCP has, 30 attended the meeting, it is being reported.

It is unclear as to what happens to the NCP party with the current split.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has written on Twitter on the party’s alliance partner, “BJP was about to send him to jail. He is taking oath as a minister now.”