Battle over Baramati

Deputy chief minister Pawar is upset with CM Eknath Shinde over state of affairs in Baramati, which he's trying to wrest from uncle Sharad

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is upset with chief minister Eknath Shinde’s party over what is happening in Baramati Lok Sabha constituency which he is trying to wrest from uncle Sharad Pawar. Former minister and Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare’s tirade against him and the threat to contest as an independent has not gone down well with Ajitdada. Shivtare, who lost the assembly election to Congress in 2019, is blaming Ajit Pawar for his defeat.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar (File Photo)

Launching an attack on the Pawars, Shivtare said it was time to end the family’s rule in Baramati constituency. Ajit Pawar’s colleagues suspect that Shivtare would not have spoken openly against their leader unless he had the blessings of Shinde.

They feel Shinde is trying to spoil the Baramati game for the deputy chief minister, who is a competitor for Shinde’s throne. Ajit is fielding his wife Sunetra opposite sitting MP and senior Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule. BJP wants Ajit to deliver Baramati for the NDA. If Shivtare contests as a rebel, he will eat into Sunetra Pawar’s votes. Losing the battle of Baramati would mean a major setback for Ajit Pawar. It would also create an impression that he cannot defeat his uncle in the latter’s bastion.

Following an outburst by his party colleagues and a threat that trouble by Shivtare would be reciprocated with similar trouble on Shinde’s home turf of Thane, the CM summoned his Pune leader and asked him to stop his campaign in Baramati. But Ajit Pawar’s colleagues are still sceptical as they suspect that Shivtare may still try to sabotage their Baramati prospects.

Wooing old foes

The intense battle for Baramati has compelled both the uncle and nephew to woo the people who were considered their sworn rivals in local politics. After years, NCP founder Sharad Pawar met Anantrao Thopte, a veteran Congress leader from neighbouring Bhor assembly constituency. The rivalry between Pawar and Thopte was well-known in Maharashtra’s political circles. Both Thopte and his MLA son Sangram have been blaming the Pawars for not getting enough opportunities when Congress was in power. Now, both uncle and nephew are wooing them. Before Pawar reached his residence, Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra paid a visit to “seek his blessings”. Sangram seems to have promised support to Supriya Sule since their parties are allies. Ajit, meanwhile, called on former Janata Dal legislator Dada Jadhavrao who was elected from Shivtare’s constituency Purandar. According to insiders, Sharad Pawar has also reached out to BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil, who is also a bitter rival of his nephew. Patil lost the assembly election in 2014 to NCP’s Dattatray Bharne, who was close to Ajit. Later he quit Congress and joined the BJP. Now, he is being wooed by senior Pawar. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Mumbai tangle

Sharing seats and selecting candidates for the six constituencies in Mumbai has become a tough job for both the alliances. In the ruling alliance, BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena are yet to decide about two seats—Mumbai south and Mumbai north west. Shinde wanted at least two seats in Mumbai. He is renominating sitting MP Rahul Shewale in Mumbai south central but wanted Mumbai south in exchange of Mumbai north west where sitting Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar has refused to contest. His son Amol Kirtikar is the candidate of Shiv Sena (UBT) from the constituency. BJP is keen on contesting the prestigious Mumbai south constituency but is still mulling whether to field assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar or minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha. It is also facing the dilemma in Mumbai north central where the sitting MP is Poonam Mahajan. Her name was not among the Mumbai candidates declared by the party, leading to speculations that she could be replaced by either Ashish Shelar or any other candidate.

On the other side, the MVA is yet to reach a consensus on seats. Congress has staked claims on Mumbai south central and north central. Uddhav Thackeray has already declared candidates for south constituency (sitting MP Arvind Sawant) and north west (Kirtikar). He is keen on contesting south central seat from where Congress wants to field its city unit chief Varsha Gaikwad. Looks like the tussle over Mumbai on both sides of political divide will continue for some time.

Danve keeps party guessing

Ambadas Danve was a local Shiv Sena leader in Aurangabad before Thackeray picked him for the job of opposition leader in the legislative council, a key post and the only position the Shiv Sena (UBT) has in state legislature. Danve shot to prominence and became a top leader of the party. However, his public spat with senior party leader Chandrakant Khaire has led to speculations that he may leave the Thackeray camp soon. Khaire is likely to be MVA candidate from Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar) constituency. Danve has also staked claim to the constituency. Thackeray has now summoned both Danve and Khaire to end the slanging match between the duo.