‘Will report to…’: Supriya Sule hints Ajit Pawar as next CM of Maharashtra

Dispelling the rumours about Ajit Pawar being sidelined, Sule said, "He is the leader of the opposition, which is equivalent to the post of chief minister”

Stating that she will report to Sharad Pawar at national level and Ajit Pawar in state, Nationalist Congress Party‘s (NCP) newly-appointed working president Supriya Sule hinted that her cousin and the leader of the opposition could be the next chief minister if the party gets highest number of seats among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies.

Pune, India - Dec. 9, 2018: Supriya Sule at the inauguration of Soniya Gandhi U-19 women T20 cricket championship at Nehru Stadium in Pune, India, on Sunday, December 9, 2018. (Photo by Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

“At national-level, I will report to Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel. In the state, I will report to Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal and Jayant Patil,” Sule said.

Dispelling the rumours about Ajit Pawar being sidelined, Sule said, “It is not true that Ajit Pawar has been sidelined. He is the leader of the opposition, which is equivalent to the post of chief minister.”

A day after NCP chief named senior party colleague Praful Patel and daughter Supriya Sule the new working presidents, allegations of dynastic politics were levelled against the party.

“I accept there is dynasty. I am very proud to be Pratibha and Sharad Pawar’s daughter. Why should I run away from this,” Sule said. The three-time MP sought to bring attention to her “performance” in the Lok Sabha, while implying that her promotion was done on merit.

“Why cannot we talk about performance, while we talk about dynasty politics? Look at my performance in Parliament. The Parliament is not run by my father. But that performance data in the Lok Sabha shows that I am at the top of the chart,” Sule, who was awarded best parliamentarian by a private organisation, said.

While Sharad Pawar’s announcement on the 24rd anniversary of the NCP on Saturday once again triggered talks of Ajit Pawar being unhappy, the leader of the opposition reiterated that he is satisfied with the decision since he was never interested in national politics.

“I was an MP in 1991 for six months and have seen the style of working at the national level. I decided to work at state level on the basis of that experience and have been working in Maharashtra for the last three decades. I realised that my style of working is not suited for the national level. It is not true that I have not been given any responsibility in the party as I am the leader of the opposition and it is a big responsibility,” Ajit Pawar said in Satara on Sunday.

Ajit Pawar said that it was not true that he left the meeting on Saturday in haste due to his resentment, but to catch a pre-scheduled flight to Pune.

The party claimed to have made an internal arrangement of keeping the state-level control with Ajit Pawar to avoid any potential tussle over the leadership.

“It was decided when Sharad Pawar made the announcement of retiring from the post last month. Ajit, Supriya and Praful Patel were kept in the loop while taking the decision. Ahead of the announcement on Saturday, these leaders had a meeting in Delhi on Friday where the roles of the leaders were specified. It is true that when comparing responsibilities, Sule has an edge over Ajit Pawar when it comes to the final decision as she is in-charge of the state and central election committee,” a party leader said.

Another leader said that Ajit Pawar’s wings within the party have been clipped to keep him under watch amid his rising closeness with BJP. “Poaching Ajit Pawar has always been on BJP’s agenda, but not without a sizable chunk of leaders to his side. The BJP would want Ajit to join them with firm numbers this time after the failed attempt in November 2019. Keeping this factor in mind, the leadership control within the party is still with the other three powerful leaders. Having said that, it has been made clear to him that, if he proves his loyalty to the party and its leadership, he would be the next face of chief ministership if the party wins the highest seats among three MVA constituents,” he said.

A leader close to Ajit Pawar said that the former deputy chief minister has huge support of legislators within the party and still calls the shots at state level. “It was proved last year when he fostered the support of over 80% MLAs to elect him to the position of the leader of the opposition,” he said.