Ajit Pawar’s failed rebellion back in focus

NCP state president Jayant Patil said at a recent event, “The formation of the MVA government was smooth as the President’s Rule was lifted. When Pawar saheb does something, it takes some time to realise the motive behind it.” His remarks seem to suggest that the Ajit-led rebellion was planned to get the President’s Rule lifted

Remarks made by Nationalist Congress Party’s state president Jayant Patil earlier this week has revived the debate over a mystery in the state’s political circles for the past three years: Did the failed rebellion by Ajit Pawar in November 2019 have the support of party chief Sharad Pawar?

Pune, India - Sept. 22, 2019: Ajit Pawar at NCP meet at Annabhau Sathe auditorium in Pune, India, on Sunday, September 22, 2019. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

At a function, Patil said, “We can’t ignore the fact that the formation of the MVA government was smooth as the President’s Rule was lifted. When Pawar saheb does something, it takes some time to realise the motive behind it.” His remarks seem to suggest that the Ajit-led rebellion was planned to get the President’s Rule lifted.

This is actually in line with what top BJP leaders in the state have been saying ever since the attempt of the BJP to form the government with a breakaway faction of NCP failed. At the time, BJP leaders had insisted that they went ahead with the plan because the senior Pawar had given a go-ahead for a BJP-NCP alliance and not because Ajit approached the BJP with a promise to split the NCP.

What happened in November 2019 was one of the most dramatic incidents in state politics. As BJP and Shiv Sena parted ways following a fallout over sharing the chief minister’s position, efforts were on to cobble up a three-party coalition of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. While the formation of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition was in progress, in the early hours of November 23, 2019, Governor B S Koshyari administered the oath of office as chief minister and deputy CM to Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. On the face of it, it was clear that BJP and a breakaway faction of NCP formed the government. BJP claimed that the entire NCP was with Ajit Pawar. Soon, Sharad Pawar flexed his muscles and ensured that the majority of NCP MLAs stayed with him. He also announced that his party was firmly with the MVA and not the BJP. The next two days saw dramatic developments with MLAs presumably close to Ajit being brought back one by one, leaving no option for Ajit but to return. Following this, Fadnavis resigned and the short-lived government became history. Soon after, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government was sworn in on November 28.

Much to the surprise of many, Ajit was made deputy chief minister. The next two and a half years saw Ajit being in control of the party’s affairs in the government though the senior Pawar remained the overall boss, giving credence to the theory that it was a calculated move by uncle and nephew.

“Had it not been done and if we would have staked claim as MVA, we doubt if the President’s Rule would have been lifted as easily. Our leaders believed that the governor would have held consultations for a long time and meanwhile there would have been attempts to break one of the three parties,” says a senior NCP leader considered close to Pawar.

BJP leaders maintain that the move (for alliance) was initiated by Ajit in consultation with his uncle who later changed his mind. Some say the fiasco also helped the uncle show that it was he who called the shots in the party.

So which version is true? The one mentioned above? Or the theory that the nephew tried to split the party but the uncle outsmarted him? Or Jayant Patil’s “guess” that Sharad Pawar was behind the move with a motive to get President’s Rule withdrawn so that formation of MVA government would be easier?

It looks like these theories will make the rounds till the man at the center of the whole episode, Sharad Pawar himself spills the beans. So far, he has not.

*Not a happy lot

Several MLAs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) are not happy. Their latest grievance is that they were promised works of hundreds of crores in their constituencies, but the funds have not been fully disbursed although the financial year is drawing to a close. The government’s finances are not in great shape with its revenue not up to the mark and a major chunk of central funds not received by the state yet. A minister was recently heard telling an official that he got works worth ₹1,200 crore approved in his constituency but barely half of the funds have been released so far. “How do I face the people whom I had promised quick development as a reason for joining the rebels,” he questioned the official who chose to keep quiet.

* Meanwhile….

While state Congress chief Nana Patole and a few Congress leaders have started making a noise over latest controversy involving a conglomerate considered close to the BJP, a few former ministers in the party are in a tricky position. They enjoyed “cordial” relations with the same conglomerate and would find it difficult to make any public comments over the controversy. One of them was even accused by fellow partymen of enjoying rides in the company’s aircraft.