’Inka toh shaam tak…’ Ajit Pawar’s comment on Eknath Shinde’s oath-taking sparks laughter | Watch viral video | Mint

Devendra Fadnavis is all set to succeed Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and take oath as the new CM of the state on Thursday. At the BJP’s press conference in Mumbai, when Eknath Shinde was asked if he would take oath as the Deputy CM, NCP chief Ajit Pawar’s response left everyone in splits.

The video of the NCP chief’s funny response has now gone viral on social media, garnering over two lakh views. The moment unfolded at the BJP press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, where the three leaders had gathered after staking their claim to form the Maharashtra government.

‘Inka toh shaam tak…’

When a media person asked Eknath Shinde if he and Ajit Pawar would be sworn in as deputy chief ministers at Azad Maidan, Shinde replied, “Let’s wait till evening. The oath ceremony is tomorrow.”

Adding to Shinde’s reply, Ajit Pawar quickly said, “Inka to shaam tak pata chalega. Main to shapat le raha hoon. (He (Shinde) will figure it out by evening. I’m the one taking the oath.)” The NCP chief’s funny remark made both the party leaders and reporters laugh.

At this point, Eknath Shinde took the mirth one notch higher. He said, “Dada (Ajit Pawar) ko anubhav hai subah ko bhi lene ka aur shaam ko bhi. (Ajit Pawar has the experience of taking the oath in the morning as well as in the evening),” which left all the attendees of the event roaring in laughter.

Story behind Ajit Pawar’s ‘shaam tak…’

Ajit Pawar mentioned in Marathi that when he and Devendra Fadnavis last took the oath in the morning, they were unable to sustain the government for long. However, this time, he assured that they would complete the full five-year term.

Both the caretaker CM Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were referring to the 2019 event when Pawar — still part of the united NCP led by his uncle Sharad Pawar — took the oath as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister alongside Devendra Fadnavis in a pre-dawn ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

The 2019 government lasted only 80 hours, as Ajit Pawar failed to secure enough support from NCP MLAs to align with the BJP. This resulted in a coalition of the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, with Uddhav Thackeray becoming the chief minister and Ajit Pawar once again serving as the deputy chief minister.