2023 Nationalist Congress Party split

2023 Nationalist Congress Party split
Part of Politics of Maharashtra
	Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar
Date	2 July 2023 - 7 February 2024
Location	Mumbai, Maharashtra
Outcome	Ajit Pawar takes oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Nationalist Congress Party breaks into two factions; 9 NCP MLAs takes oath as Cabinet Minister in Eknath Shinde-led Government of Maharashtra; Indian National Congress becomes the largest opposition party in Maharashtra.; Numbers by Factions: Sharad Pawar Camp in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly; 15 / 56 (27%) Ajit Pawar Camp in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly; 40 / 56 (71%) Sharad Pawar Camp in Parliament of India; 7 / 9 (78%) Ajit Pawar Camp in Parliament of India; 2 / 9 (22%)
Preceded by	2022 Shiv Sena split

The 2023 Nationalist Congress Party split occurred on 2 July 2023, when Ajit Pawar, along with several other party leaders, separated from the NCP led by his uncle Sharad Pawar and joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and eight other NCP leaders were sworn in as ministers. This led to a split in the party, creating two factions: one led by Sharad Pawar and the other by Ajit Pawar. The division resulted in a legal battle over the party's name and symbol. On 6 February 2024, the Election Commission awarded the party name and symbol to the faction headed by Ajit Pawar. The faction led by Sharad Pawar was subsequently recognized as the Sharad Pawar-led faction. On 5 March 2024, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared the Ajit Pawar faction the "real" NCP, citing its legislative majority.