What happens to the power tussle in the NCP now?

Sharad Pawar has made his intentions clear with the appointment of two new working presidents, including daughter Supriya Sule. Supriya has also been put in charge of Maharashtra where the party has its base. Does that mean senior Pawar has sidelined his ambitious nephew Ajit who hopes to be the next chief minister?

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has made his intentions clear with the appointment of two new working presidents, including daughter Supriya Sule. Supriya has also been put in charge of Maharashtra where the party has its base. She will also head the central election committee which means she will have the authority to distribute party tickets in the elections. For all practical purposes, she is Pawar’s political successor.

Pune, India - June 10, 2018: Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar during NCP Rally at Shinde high school ground, Sahakar Nagar in Pune, India, on Sunday, June 10, 2018.-HT photo

Does that mean senior Pawar has sidelined his ambitious nephew Ajit who hopes to be the next chief minister? Party insiders insist that Ajit has not got a raw deal as is being projected. He will still be in a dominant position when it comes to deciding the affairs in Maharashtra. Supriya is designated as Pawar’s political heir but what would matter for Ajit is the numbers the party gets in the next assembly elections. “He is least bothered about how the party fares nationally or in other states. His plan would be to get maximum of his nominees elected as MLAs and then decide the further steps. It is not the organisation, it is the participation in power that his interest lies,” said a close aide of Ajit. He also pointed out that senior Pawar this time kept Ajit in the loop before announcing the decision.

Besides, two of the senior leaders who are on the same page as Ajit —Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare—are in key positions in the new set-up. Patel is one of the two working presidents while Tatkare is in charge of a few states.

The developments within the party also means that the issue of going with the BJP has now been shelved by the party leadership for the time being. It will probably be back ahead of the next assembly elections. Till then, NCP leaders will be singing songs of unity and brotherhood, it seems. The deciding factor could be the outcome of the next Lok Sabha elections.

The growing unease

For the past few days, there have been rumours that the BJP leadership has asked chief minister Eknath Shinde to drop four ministers against whom there have been complaints. While there is no such confirmation from state BJP, it is not a secret that deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior BJP ministers in the government are not happy with the way certain ministers from Shinde’s party are handling things. Not just the handling of their own departments but also the kind of interest they are taking in administrative transfers and other issues in the government. With the Opposition getting aggressive, it won’t be a surprise if any of them lands in trouble, feel BJP ministers. “We have conveyed our concerns to the party’s top brass. It won’t be surprising if Shinde is asked to ensure that they fall in line,” said a BJP minister. But the unease is not ending here. The BJP is increasingly expressing its discontent with BJP in Thane district which is Shinde’ backyard. Latest is over Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency represented by Shinde’s son Shrikant, prompting the latter to announce that he is willing to resign as MP.

Narvekar and temple in Navi Mumbai

For Milind Narvekar, Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary and Uddhav Thackeray’s personal assistant, laying the foundation stone of Tirupati Balaji Temple in Navi Mumbai last week, was an important event. Narvekar, a trustee of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board, played a key role in getting the land allotted at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai during Thackeray’s tenure as chief minister. While the land was allotted by Thackeray, chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis were present for the ‘bhoomi pujan’ for the construction of the temple with a beaming Narvekar standing next to them. It is no secret in both the Senas that Narvekar shared cordial relations with Shinde before the split in the party. There have been speculations that he may join the Shinde-led Sena but so far he has stuck with the Thackerays even as Shinde keeps poaching people close to Uddhav. The latest is a Sena functionary who was handling digital campaigns for the party and was also behind Thackeray ‘Karun Dakhavale’ campaign ahead of the Mumbai civic polls in 2012.

One more future chief minister

State Congress chief Nana Patole is the latest to join the club of chief ministers-in-waiting in Maharashtra. Last week, billboards declaring Patole as the future chief minister appeared in some cities on his birthday on June 5. Patole dismissed it as an act of some over-enthusiastic party workers. In any case, he joins the long list of chief ministers in waiting: Ajit Pawar, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, Jayant Patil, Pankaja Munde to name a few.