Nagpur: NCP leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has been given a clean chit in the Vidarbha irrigation scam by Maharashtra's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The ACB, in its affidavit submitted in the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, has ruled out Ajit's involvement in cases of alleged irregularities in irrigation projects in the Vidarbha region.
The affidavit was submitted on November 27, a day before the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena -NCP-Congress was sworn-in the state on November 28.
The court had asked the ACB to clarify its stand on the role of Ajit Pawar, a former Water Resources Development Minister, in these cases before Novemeber 28.
Ajit had also served as chairman of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) during his tenure as minister in the Congress-NCP coaliation government from 1999 to 2004.
Ajit had taken oath on November 23 as deputy chief minister when BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as CM, when the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress had almost finalised their alliance and named Uddhav Thackeray as the chief ministerial candidate.
However, Ajit resigned on November 26, following which Fadnavis also threw in the towel, resulting into collapse of the government that lasted for only 80 hours.
ACB's prompt closure of nine cases in which Ajit Pawar was prime accused, immediately after taking oath as Deputy CM in a letter dated November 25, had brought out stiff opposition from the MVA. The ACB, however, had clarified that none of these cases were linked to deputy CM Ajit Pawar after opposition parties claimed Ajit Pawar was "exonerated" in lieu of his support to the BJP in forming a government.
(With inputs from PTI.)
