Sharad Pawar: PM Modi, Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar likely to share stage at Pune event on August 1 | India News

NEW DELHI: Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra caused by the vertical split of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar are likely to share the stage at an award function of Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust on August 1 in Pune.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde as well as deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis are also likely to attend the event.

Earlier this month, the NCP split after Ajit Pawar and 8 other MLAs joined the NDA government in Marharashtra. Ajit was appointed as a deputy chief minister in the Shinde-led government.

Sharad Pawar has “expelled” Ajit Pawar and other party MLAs who joined the BJP-led government. Ajit, meanwhile, has claimed that at least 40 of the 53 NCP MLAs support him.
‘Award for supreme leadership’
PM Modi is being conferred the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award this year in recognition of his “supreme leadership and for awakening the feeling of patriotism among citizens”.

“The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) will confer the award upon PM Modi on August 1, the 103rd death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak,” Trust president Deepak Tilak said.

The organisers said NCP chief Sharad Pawar has been invited to the award ceremony as the chief guest. Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais has also been invited.
Past awardees include former PMs Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh and former President Pranab Mukherjee and Infosys founder NR Naraynmurthy.
(With inputs from agencies)