22 yrs on, NCP all set for challenges

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has been a significant force in Maharashtra politics, except for the five years of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule, completes 22 years of its formation on Thursday

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has been a significant force in Maharashtra politics, except for the five years of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule, completes 22 years of its formation on Thursday.

HT Image

Among the many challenges ahead for the party, the most important one is leadership – the party still remains dependent on Pawar’s appeal though there seems to be internal struggle over leadership. While Pawar’s nephew and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is making it clear that he would prefer to be clear number two in the party, two other power centres are making their presence felt – Pawar’s daughter and MP Supriya Sule as well as party’s state president Jayant Patil.

Ajit suffered a setback after he tried to split the party and form a government with the BJP, just when senior Pawar was busy stitching together a three-party alliance with Shiv Sena and Congress after the 2019 Assembly elections. Ajit failed and had to return to the party. However, he managed to get the position of deputy chief minister and is leading the party in the Uddhav Thackeray government. Although there are three other party heavyweights in the government, Jayant Patil, home minister Dilip Walse-Patil and food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit is seen as NCP’s undisputed leader in Thackeray’s cabinet.

The rise of Sule is a clear indication that the NCP chief has been grooming his daughter for bigger responsibilities. She is increasingly getting involved in key decisions of the party. She is also accessible to party leaders and workers as the party chief is now unable to meet everybody due to his health condition. “We all used to believe that Ajit dada is the natural heir of Pawar sahib, but now things are changing slowly. Supriya tai is more accessible. She makes a point to meet at least 25 to 100 workers and leaders every day, which gives them a sense of belonging. Not only this, she takes people to the ministers and ensures their problems are resolved. Ajitdada now has limitations in meeting partymen, as he is busy with responsibilities in the government,” said a senior NCP leader, requesting anonymity. Besides Sule, Jayant Patil is even positioning himself as one of the candidates for the chief ministerial position. Many in party think he won’t feel emboldened to make such remarks unless he has the support of senior Pawar.

The NCP’s performance in 2019 was noteworthy considering the mass exodus of senior leaders and its struggle to boost morale of the party workers. It lost many of its prominent faces who were also considered as Pawar’s loyalists, apart from eight of its sitting MLAs and a sitting Member of Parliament Udayanraje Bhonsle. But the party managed to get 56 MLAs, 13 more than what it could secure during the Modi wave of 2014. In the 2009 assembly elections, it had won 62 seats.

Political analyst Pratap Asbe said the party will have to create ideology-based cadre to prevent a 2019-like situation. “The party cadre will not move if he or she is ideologically committed. This will keep the organisation united and help in moving forward. For this, the leadership is required to hold training and programs of its cadre,” Asbe said.

Another political analyst Prakash Bal said the primary challenge of the party is to maintain its regional presence and upcoming local bodies elections would be crucial. “The NCP is a regional party just like the Shiv Sena. In the long term, it has to maintain its regional presence and hence it will be trying to consolidate its position in south and western Maharashtra. Encroaching voters from Konkan and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) would be a challenge for the party. BMC elections, crucial for all political parties, are due next year, but the NCP’s presence in the city is nowhere to be seen. The party is expected to perform better, especially when it is in the government,” said Bal.