What next for Sharad Pawar at 80?

Two days before Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s 80th birthday on December 12, political circles were on Thursday abuzz with speculation that

Two days before Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s 80th birthday on December 12, political circles were on Thursday abuzz with speculation that the leader may become the convener of the United Progressive Alliance – a Congress-led coalition – if the Congress agrees to give the post to a non-Congress leader. Currently, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the UPA.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar addresses media at his residence, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)

Pawar’s aides said the NCP chief was approached by a few Congress leaders. The leader, however, denied it. “There is no basis in the reports that Sharad Pawar will be made the UPA chairperson,” Pawar clarified to ABP Majha, a Marathi channel, in the evening. Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar, too, termed the reports “baseless”.

NCP leaders, however, said Pawar should be given the responsibility to bring the Opposition parties together, amid the need to put a strong alternative before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Pawar saheb has the experience and capability. He can also hold the Opposition parties together. The Maharashtra experiment can be tried on the national level. It is the right time to take the call,” said an NCP leader, requesting anonymity. “Pawar saheb came in contact with leaders from other parties when he was the chief minister and has always maintained a cordial relationship with everyone, even if he is a part of the Opposition. He has always been interested in resolving issues and doesn’t mix politics with development. Amid the ongoing farmers’ agitation, he led a delegation, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, to President Ram Nath Kovind and urged him to repeal the controversial laws. I don’t know beyond that,” said deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.

Challenges ahead

At the base of the speculation is Pawar’s experiment to bring three parties – Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena – together to wrest power from the BJP in Maharashtra. Pawar’s aides think he can bring more parties to the UPA and create confidence among voters that there could be an alternative to the BJP nationally.

But as he turns 80, Pawar, the veteran of many battles, has two major challenges before him. First, to ensure the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state completes its five-year term, which he has been insisting on since the three-party alliance came to power in 2019. Second, to decide who will lead the NCP, as he may not be active in politics after a few years.

Since the MVA regime came into existence, at regular intervals, there have been reports that the BJP was planning ‘Operation Lotus’ to dislodge the current dispensation by engineering a large number of defections. The BJP leaders, too, have been saying that the Thackeray-led government won’t last long. “The three-party government sees lack of coordination, but will not fall unless one of the three parties falls out of it, which seems unlikely. On the other hand, most of the legislators who defected to the BJP, to be in power, be it from the Congress or NCP, want to switch sides again. This is why senior BJP leaders have been giving statements that the government will not last,” Bal said.

The successor

Pawar has groomed many young leaders, including his daughter Supriya Sule, nephew Ajit Pawar and state NCP chief Jayant Patil, who are now the party’s frontline leaders, but who will become his successor is still not clear. Over the years, Ajit has emerged as his political heir, as he was the most popular leader among partymen after senior Pawar. However, there could be a trust deficit between the NCP chief and his nephew, as he tried to split the party last November by joining hands with the BJP to form a government that lasted only 80 hours.

“The NCP has a big set of young leaders. I can name many who are acceptable to all – Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil and Dhananjay Munde. There are many in the party who possess qualities to lead,” Pawar replied to a question in a recent interview.

NCP insiders say Ajit is still second-in-command in the party. “Despite his unsuccessful coup, everyone knows Ajit dada is still holding number two position. He is also the most popular leader in the party. No one is denying the contribution of other leaders, but they can’t replace him,” said an NCP leader, requesting anonymity.

On the other hand, the rise of Supriya Sule in the party in past few years is an indication that the NCP chief has been grooming his daughter for bigger responsibilities. Sule is now part of the top brass and has a say is major decisions. Some party leaders opine that Pawar may not appoint a clear successor as that would lead to bad blood. It is quite possible that Ajit would not like to work under Supriya’s leadership. “Pawar is never going to retire from active politics. Politics is his oxygen. He has survived big ailments, critical surgeries and still at the age of 80, he is one of the most active leaders in the political sphere,” political analyst Pratap Asbe said.