Is the 2019 mediator trying for truce between uncle, nephew 4 yrs later?

Speculations arise as Ajit Pawar meets his elder brother Shriniwas, sparking rumors of a reconciliation within the Pawar family after Ajit's defection from the NCP.

Strap: Speculations are rife after Ajit meets elder brother Shriniwas, who played a crucial role in burying the hatchet between the two factions in 2019

Pune, India - October 29, 2018: Nationalist Congress Party leaders Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar at the samvidhan bachao (save the Constitution) rally organised at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on Monday. in Pune, India, on Monday, October 29, 2018. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Ten days after Ajit Pawar defected from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government, efforts for a rapprochement between the warring uncle and the nephew seem to have begun within the Pawar family.

On Tuesday, Ajit met his elder brother Shriniwas in Mumbai while at the same time the latter’s son Yugendra met party president and his grandfather Sharad Pawar at YB Chavan Centre, Nariman Point. The development has triggered speculations that attempts are being made for a reconciliation, or at least an understanding between the two factions.

Shriniwas, who is not in politics, had played the role of a mediator and brought peace between the Pawars in 2019, an NCP leader, who did not want to be named, said. “After forming the government with Devendra Fadnavis in November 2019, Ajit was staying at Shriniwas’s house in Mumbai.”

Later, Ajit returned to the party and was appointed as deputy chief minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, the leader added.

When contacted by HT, Yugendra confirmed his meeting with the NCP chief and claimed that there was no split in the family as they did not mix family with politics. “There is no split in the family, and we all are united. We have been following this tradition for decades. I met Pawar saheb as he is my grandfather and not for politics,” he said.

Significantly, Pawar’s another grand-nephew and NCP MLA Rohit Pawar said on Tuesday that things would change after a few days.

Rohit, who is loyal to the senior Pawar, claimed that the rebel MLAs were upset with the way Pawar saheb was criticised and his age was mentioned (to justify their action). “Many leaders and MLAs are considering returning to us as they have realised that it was a mistake,” he told a Marathi channel in Ahmednagar.

He also said that Pawar would take a positive decision regarding those who wanted to come back to the party.

On Monday, while speaking in Pune, Rohit accused the BJP of breaking the NCP and the Shiv Sena to remain in power in Maharashtra. He also said that only his uncle (Ajit Pawar) could win from Baramati in the coming assembly polls.

On July 2, Ajit declared joining the coalition government along with a majority of NCP MLAs. He along with eight other MLAs took oath as ministers the same day. Later, he made a claim on the party’s name and its election symbol by filing a petition with the election commission and the assembly speaker. Pawar, on the other hand, expelled all the nine MLAs, his former aide Praful Patel, and Sunil Tatkare for anti-party activities after they shifted their loyalty to Ajit.

In the battle of political dominance, Ajit appears to have overpowered his 82-year-old uncle by pulling 35 of the 53 MLAs and many senior leaders in the party to his side.