The uncle-nephew tussle could be reaching a decisive stage

It is now almost apparent in political circles that senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar is keen to go with BJP.

The cold war or the silent power tussle between the uncle and the nephew, which has been going on for more than a decade, is finally reaching a decisive stage in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), if the developments that have been happening in the past few days are any indication.

Nationalist Congress Party leaders Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT Photo)

It is now almost apparent in political circles that senior party leader Ajit Pawar is keen to go with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has told the party chief and his uncle Sharad Pawar that NCP should join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Ajit has pointed out that he and several other MLAs of the party are facing trouble at the hands of different agencies and want an end to it. Senior Pawar is not in favour of an alliance with the BJP and has reportedly told his nephew that he is free to take his decision. Ajit’s aides have started getting in touch with most of the party’s 54 MLAs to get them on their side. On the other hand, the old guard in the party has largely chosen to be with Pawar and are now working their phones to ensure that the majority of the MLAs do not join Ajit.

Whether Ajit will split the party, defer the move or stay back will be clear in the next few days but these developments have brought the cold war between the uncle and the nephew to a decisive stage.

In the NCP’s hierarchy, Ajit has always been considered as the number two after Pawar. For a long time, the party leaders and the cadre believed that the duo was on the same page when it came to political decisions. The differences first came to the fore in 2010 when the Congress-NCP government in the state saw a change of guard. Following allegations against him in Adarsh controversy, then chief minister Ashok Chavan resigned. Congress chose Prithviraj Chavan as his successor. Though Chhagan Bhujbal was the deputy chief minister, the NCP MLAs raised the demand for a change in the party’s leadership in the government and insisted on Ajit Pawar being elected for the post. Though Ajit had more following among the party MLAs, it was for the first time he decided to assert his authority, which clearly did not go down well with his uncle. The tussle intensified in 2019 when Ajit tried to form the government with Devendra Fadnavis even as Pawar was busy cobbling up the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. With the majority of party MLAs sticking to Pawar, Ajit’s bid failed but he was rehabilitated as deputy chief minister in the MVA government.

However, Pawar then ensured that the leaders loyal to him remained in key positions and that Ajit would not have absolute power in the party. He also consciously gave a bigger role to his daughter and Baramati MP, Supriya Sule, in the party’s decision-making process. The tussle could now turn into a war within the NCP, which threatens to split the party. Ajit is trying to get maximum MLAs on his side while his uncle is trying to show him who the boss is. A senior NCP leader, who has seen Pawar for a long time, however, is still trying to avoid a showdown by convincing the latter that it is high time he gives serious thought to Ajit’s proposal.

The timing of Shinde’s mega show

Amid speculations that Ajit Pawar could be joining the BJP camp and may get a significant position in the government, it cannot be a mere coincidence that chief minister Eknath Shinde’s aides took upon themselves the task of putting up a grand show for the function in which Union home minister Amit Shah conferred Maharashtra Bhushan, state government’s award, to spiritual leader Appasaheb Dharmadhikari. Several aides of Shinde were working round the clock to ensure that the function was attended by a huge number of people. Their task was made easier by the followers of Dharmadhikari, who make it a point to attend each and every programme organised by his foundation that works in the social sector. The timing, however, was crucial and so was the presence of Shah. It is believed that the union home minister will soon take a call on the power equations in the Shiv Sena-BJP government.

Kissa kursi ka

The chairs kept for the top leaders addressing the rallies of the MVA became a talking point recently. In the last meeting of the MVA in Sambhaji Nagar on April 2, eyebrows were raised as the chair kept for Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray was taller and different from others. The NCP leaders were not amused. While such reports appeared in the media, Ajit Pawar explained that he was told a separate chair with tall backrest was arranged for Thackeray due to his health condition. However, the organisers of Sunday’s MVA rally at Nagpur were cautious and avoided another controversy. They ensured that all the chairs on the dais were of the same size.